There's finally a glimmer of hope for workers organizing across the South!

After decades of living under anti-union rhetoric and right-to-work laws, workers in the southern U.S. are witnessing equal parts victory and heartbreak in their fight to organize and bargain collectively.

Last month, a Volkswagen manufacturing plant in Tennessee voted to unionize with United Auto Workers – not only making history as the first union at a foreign-owned auto factory in the South, but also ending its title as the only non-union VW plant in the world.

Then, last week, in a close vote, workers at a Mercedes manufacturing and battery plant in Alabama voted against unionizing after a long, tough campaign against fierce pressure by management, company executives, and even elected officials. Mercedes' union busting and employee intimidation campaign was so egregious that the German government has opened an investigation into the companies tactics.

Republican governors in at least six southern states openly called for workers to vote no, saying these union efforts could force layoffs and move plant operations entirely out of the South. On top of that, Alabama governor Kay Ivey joined two other southern states in passing new anti-labor laws, including one that would rescind state incentives for employers that voluntarily recognize labor unions.

After years of complaints about low wages, working conditions, inflation, and hiring "temporary workers" who do the same work as other employees for lower pay, the UAW is pursuing a careful, but ambitious plan to organize union elections for 150,000 workers at non-union Toyota, Nissan, Volvo, and Tesla plants across the South.

And it's not just auto workers who are doing the tough work to organize for better pay and working conditions!

An illegal intimidation campaign may result in a third election to vote on unionizing an Amazon warehouse in rural Alabama this year – if workers decisively vote yes, it would be a huge hit to starkly anti-union Amazon.

Atlanta-based Delta Airlines has staved off unionizing attempts by their flight attendants for years now, but the wave of new efforts across the country as well as the win last month in Tennessee is revitalizing their campaign to have enough union cards signed by the end of the year to trigger an election.

Unionization efforts face tough battles, but what's clear is that workers can't raise families or live comfortably if they have to choose between a roof over their head and food on the table. The remarkable progress of workers fighting to get a majority to sign union cards in companies where wages have stagnated for years and where unions have struggled to gain any kind of foothold is only the beginning!

In solidarity,

Tom

Founded by former U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), the One Country Project is dedicated to reopening the dialogue with rural communities, rebuilding trust and respect, and advancing an opportunity agenda for rural Americans. Our mission is to ensure rural America’s priorities and values are heard, understood, well-represented and reflected in policy in Washington.

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