Mercedes Worker Advocates For Better Work-Life Balance Amid Unionization Efforts in Alabama Plant: '...So That We Can Participate In Family Activities'

Brett Garrard, a Mercedes worker, emphasized the need for better work-life balance and a more predictable schedule as part of the ongoing unionization efforts at a Mercedes plant in Alabama.

What Happened: Garrard’s statement, made on Last Call CNBC, comes amid a vote by over 5,000 workers at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Alabama on whether to join the United Auto Workers (UAW) union. The vote began on Monday, May 13, 2024, in the face of a strong anti-union campaign.

“The things that we are reaching for in this campaign are more work-home life balance [and] a more stable and standard schedule so that we can participate in family activities,” Gerrard said.

However, he also revealed that not everyone in the Alabama plant is ready for unionization. The biggest fear is the management would shift the plant out of Alabama to Mexico if the unionization campaign continues. Workers are also concerned that others plants would be preferred over Alabama when new car designs arrive.

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Why It Matters: The unionization efforts at the Mercedes plant are part of a larger campaign by the UAW. Following a significant victory at a Volkswagen plant in Tennessee, UAW President Shawn Fain announced plans to organize more nonunion automaker factories.

The UAW’s $40-million campaign aims to unionize autoworkers in at least 35 non-union U.S. plants currently under the banner of major manufacturers such as Mercedes-Benz Group, Tesla Inc, BMW, Toyota Motor Corp, Nissan Motor Co Ltd and Hyundai Motor Company.

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