Seeking to defy history, the UAW is coming closer to unionizing in the South

Jeremy Kimbrell has worked at the Mercedes plant in Vance, Ala., since 1999. Having been involved in several failed union drives, he says this latest one feels different.

Claire Harbage / Claire Harbage

The United Auto Workers union has stepped up the pace on its march south.

On Friday, Mercedes workers in Vance, Ala., filed a petition with federal labor officials for a union election — a first for workers at that plant. Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga, Tenn., will begin voting in their union election in less than two weeks.

The surge in union interest follows the UAW’s strike against the Big 3 automakers last fall, which led to record contracts.