The United Auto Workers (UAW) have begun the first ever strike in Alabama against a Mercedes-Benz supplier, as the Detroit Big Three’s walkout continues. Hundreds of workers at the Meridian Magnesium Products of America facility in Lansing, Alabama, walked off the job on September 16, saying they will not return until they receive the same wages, benefits, and workplace safety standards as workers at other automotive suppliers across the country.
The workers at Meridian Magnesium Products cite low wages, lack of job security, and unsafe working conditions as their biggest grievances. After months of negotiations between UAW and the company’s management failed to reach an agreement, the union decided to take action. The strike affects an estimated 330 workers at Meridian Magnesium Products, which supplies auto parts to Mercedes-Benz’s U.S. assembly plant in Vance, Alabama.
This strike represents a continued push by the UAW to negotiate better wages and benefits for automotive workers in the southern U.S. In April, UAW declared a similar strike against non-union car parts manufacturer Trim Masters in Montgomery, Alabama. More recently, in August, the union called a strike at the Nissan plant in Canton, Mississippi. These fights come as the union’s strike against the Detroit Big Three continues, with no end in sight.
The UAW’s strike against Meridian Magnesium Products highlights a growing trend of labor organizing in the U.S. automotive industry. After years of taking a back seat to foreign competition, workers in the U.S. are increasingly using union power to fight for better wages and working conditions. The UAW hopes the Meridian Magnesium Products strike will set a precedent for other automotive workers across the nation.