UAW Sets Sights on Mercedes Alabama Plant

The United Auto Workers union, which is aggressively seeking to organize the U.S. auto factories of foreign carmakers, has added Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz assembly plant in Vance, Ala., to its list of targets.

Newly created UAW Web site uawvance.org declares the union has "reloaded" its plan to unionize the roughly 4,000 hourly workers at the Vance facility. The site adds that the UAW wants to create a "unique" local union there that would be a "model for labor relations" in this century.

The IG Metall union, which represents Mercedes employees in Germany, is supporting the UAW campaign. The union has opened an office near the Vance facility the only Mercedes factory worldwide without labor representation. IG Metall also is backing the U.S union's organizing drive at Volkswagen's assembly plant in Chattanooga, Tenn.

The UAW ran unsuccessful in campaigns in Vance in 2000 and 2007. The International Association of Machinists failed in its attempt there in 2006. But five Mercedes' suppliers in Alabama are unionized, including two organized by the UAW in the past year, reports AL.com, a Web site for several local newspapers.