Another Alabama auto plant is responding to an effort to organize under the United Auto Workers.
And like the labor battles of 2024, the company is appealing directly to workers ahead of an expected election.
The UAW last week notified the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) that it had filed a petition to organize at International Motors in Huntsville.
It’s the latest effort by the union in an Alabama automotive factory after last year’s unsuccessful election at Mercedes-Benz in Tuscaloosa County, and an associated effort at Hyundai in Montgomery.
The International Motors union push promises to be smaller scale than last year’s action, as the petition affects 220 full-time and part-time manufacturing workers, according to NLRB paperwork.
That’s far less than the thousands employed at the much larger vehicle plants last year.
As in 2024’s organizing efforts at other factories, International Motors plant management began communicating with employees, even over the July 4 holiday. On Wednesday, workers received a letter about the UAW, saying that they “hestitate(d) to interrupt your family time.”
According to the company, it received the petition on June 27 from a group called “HPP Workers United for Change.”
Prior to that, the UAW had requested a card check process for unionization, which involves a majority of employees sign authorization forms requesting a union. The company instead requested a secret ballot election, according to the company.
Attempts to reach the UAW for comment were not immediately successful.
“To be clear, we strongly believe that selecting an outside organization like a union to represent you in your dealings with the Company (and having to join the union and pay union dues) is not necessary here in Huntsville,” the letter states.
Illinois-based International Motors is a manufacturer of trucks, buses, engines and parts, among other items.
The Huntsville plant, on Short Pike Road Southwest, is a powertrain manufacturing facility, turning out diesel engines and transmissions.
The plant currently supplies International’s vehicle assembly plants in Springfield, Ohio and Escobedo, Mexico.
Brandon Tucker, International/Navistar Huntsville Powertrain plant manager, said the company has invested $200 million into the plant, and full-time employment there has doubled over the past five years, with “strong plans to add many more associates as we fully ramp up our lines.”
“Our plant and company have worked tirelessly to address issues that come with rapid growth and changes in the industry and economic environment,” Tucker said.
“We are committed to continuous improvement and maintaining Huntsville as a great place to work.”
Tucker, and the company letter, promised that company officials will spend the coming weeks communicating with employees ahead of the election. A date for the vote has not yet been set.
“The city of Huntsville is thriving, and we want to continue to be a strong part of that. We believe prioritizing flexibility, innovation, and direct communication to overcome challenges provides the brightest future for all,” Tucker said.
Last year, the UAW’s executive board earmarked $40 million to fund an organizing push among non-union auto and electric battery workers, concentrating some of the money in the South.
But a high-profile push to unionize Mercedes-Benz’s plant in Tuscaloosa County failed by a margin of 597 votes.
And late last year, The Wall Street Journal reported that the UAW was shifting its strategy after the drive appeared to stall at Hyundai’s Montgomery plant.
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