Mercedes-Benz Settles Case Over Alleged Union-Busting in Alabama

Mercedes-Benz Group AG vowed not to make anti-union threats as part of a deal to resolve a US labor board case over the company’s response to a high-stakes Alabama organizing drive.

Under a settlement with the National Labor Relations Board, the automaker said it will distribute, and adhere to, a notice about employees’ union organizing rights. That notice, obtained by Bloomberg News through a Freedom of Information Act request, includes statements such as “WE WILL NOT threaten you with the closure and/or relocation of the facility to a non-union location, like Mexico, or anywhere else, if you choose to be represented by a union.”

Alabama Mercedes employees voted 2,642 to 2,045 against joining the United Auto Workers in a 2024 election, a major setback for the recently reinvigorated union’s efforts to expand its ranks. The UAW alleged that illegal interference by the company — including retaliation against union supporters — prevented a fair vote.