Dennis Williams, UAW president, said the union is still plans to organize entire plants in the South. Photo credit: UAW.

After a major setback in its attempt to organize a Volkswagen plant in Tennessee earlier this year, the United Auto Workers captured its second small victory by chartering a new local at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Vance, Alabama.

The new local, Local 112, is essentially a group of plant employees who want representation. It will represent any interested employees who join the local as members. No employees will be required to join, according to Gary Casteel, UAW’s secretary-treasurer.

The plant in Tuscaloosa County is the only Daimler plant in the world that does not currently offer employee representation, noted Michael Brecht, vice chairman of the Daimler Supervisory board. The plant currently manufactures C-Class sedans.

It’s the second local the union has established in the South. It set up Volkswagen Local 42 at the German automaker’s plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The structure is the same: it represents only employees who want union representation. At this point, it’s estimated there are 750 employees committed to Local 42.

The UAW chose this route after it lost a contentious election at the Chattanooga plant in February. The union filed appeals with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) after the election, claiming the vote was unfairly influenced by outside forces, but the NLRB rejected those claims.

The tactic marks a change in strategy for the UAW in its approach to non-union plants in the South. Dennis Williams, the UAW’s new president has said in an interview that the union will not abandon its efforts to organize workers at the transplants in South.

Casteel, who spearheaded the organizing drive at VW, said the new local, UAW Local 112, offers workers the opportunity for a voice in the workplace that aligns with Daimler AG’s global commitment to the German principle of “co-determination” between management and employees.

“This isn’t a petition for an election,” said Casteel. “The big difference is we are moving to represent a majority of workers (at the plant). This is the formation of local union that will become the bargaining agent for workers at this facility.”

As the membership roles grow, the UAW and IG Metal will pressure the company to accept the UAW as the bargaining agent for plants employees, he said.

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The UAW already represents nearly 7,000 workers at Daimler plants in the U.S., including Daimler Truck North America facilities in North Carolina. In May, Daimler leaders pointed to “ongoing close collaboration with the UAW” in securing retiree benefits and increasing the company’s long-term competitiveness.

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“We are asking Daimler to respect our right to representation and give the same opportunities to Alabama’s working families that have been extended to our counterparts elsewhere in the U.S. and around the world,” said Rodney Bowens, who works in quality at the MBUSI body and paint shops. “Our hope is that management will recognize the importance of today’s announcement and welcome our new local union into the Daimler family.”

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The announcement of UAW Local 112 follows a recent agreement between the UAW, the Daimler World Employee Committee, and IG Metal to advance employee representation at MBUSI. The agreement reaffirms the organizations’ longstanding partnerships and cooperative efforts.

Daimler officials said the believed the current labor relations system in Alabama serves the plant’s 3,400 workers well.

“Daimler has committed to stay neutral on the topic of labor representation and the choice to join a union is up to our team members,” the company said in a statement. “As for the announced formation of a local UAW chapter, this does not change our position on neutrality or how our teams work together within our organization.”

Michael Strong contributed to this report.