About 190 members of the United Auto Workers this morning began striking against Mercedes-Benz supplier ZF in Tuscaloosa.

“Local 2083 is standing in solidarity to fight for their right to have a strong contract and support their future,” a statement on the UAW website states.

ZF Chassis Systems is a tier-1 supplier for Vance’s Mercedes-Benz US International plant, making drive train components. It has been operating in Tuscaloosa for 26 years and employs more than 300 people.

UAW Region 8 Director Tim Smith and several Region 8 International staffers recently visited the local to show their support.

The strike comes after the local voted down a third contract proposal, according to the union. Healthcare, wages and tier structures are the main issues.

Tony Sapienza, a spokesman for ZF North America, said the company is “committed to continuing negotiations in good faith and (is) hopeful that we can come to a resolution soon. The plant continues to run during these discussions.”

Attempts to contact Mercedes-Benz were not immediately successful.

The UAW began a strike on Friday against Detroit’s “Big Three” automakers in what has been dubbed the “Stand Up Strike.” There are currently 13,000 workers in Detroit in a walkout that is the first of its kind in that the union is taking on all three simultaneously.

Alabama’s automakers – Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai, Honda and Mazda-Toyota – have largely resisted large-scale unionization, as have all other Southern car marking plants.