Mercedes-Benz workers at a factory in Alabama have begun voting on whether to join the United Auto Workers (UAW) this week, after the union was voted in at a Volkswagen plant in Tennessee a few weeks ago.
On Monday, Mercedes workers began voting on UAW membership at the company’s factory in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, with voting remaining open until Friday. The vote comes after a majority of workers at the Mercedes plant in February voted to hold a union vote, and after Volkswagen employees officially voted to recognize the UAW at the company’s factory in Chattanooga, Tennessee, last month.
The Mercedes vote is thought to be much less of a sure-fire victory for the union, especially with the automaker specifically telling workers that they should vote no through flyers and signage, as Reuters reports. The outlet also alleges that Mercedes hired anti-union companies to come speak at the plant, though the automaker has denied that it is using union-busting tactics at the factory.
“Mercedes-Benz U.S. International (MBUSI) fully respects our Team Members’ choice whether to unionize and we look forward to participating in the election process to ensure every Team Member has a chance to cast their own secret-ballot vote, as well as having access to the information necessary to make an informed choice,” a Mercedes spokesperson told Teslarati in an email.
“MBUSI has a strong record of success over the past 25+ years operating as One Team in Alabama. Our primary focus at MBUSI is always to provide a safe and supportive work environment for our Team Members, so they can continue to build safe and superior vehicles for the world. We believe open and direct communication with our Team Members is the best path forward to ensure continued success.”
Below, you can see the voting schedule for workers at the Mercedes factory, with the ballots set to be counted after polls close on Friday morning.
Credit: UAW
A spokesperson from the company told Reuters that Mercedes-Benz respects worker unionization efforts, adding that the company is making sure that each worker can vote secretly, while having all the details necessary to cast an informed vote.
“That is the biggest thing that we’re using to push because we can show how much the union can win now,” Mercedes employee Jacob Ryan told Reuters. Ryan adds that he supports the union due to the automaker’s failure to address worker concerns such as pay, hours, and benefits.
The employee has been at the factory for around five years, and under two years ago, he witnessed the plant struggling to get 20 percent of workers to file for a union election. To reach the point of holding a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) election, as is now happening, the UAW says it waits for a facility to reach a 70-percent threshold of workers filing in favor of a vote.
The Alabama Mercedes plant produces the electric EQS and EQE lineups, as well as the gas GLE and GLS vehicles, according to the company’s website. The automaker also says it employed 6,100 workers in 2023, with around 295,000 vehicles produced there in the same year.
Although the Volkswagen plant had voted not to be recognized by the UAW twice before voting to join the union last month, this is the first time that a union election has been held at the Tuscaloosa Mercedes factory.
Following the UAW’s historic six-week strikes of Ford, General Motors (GM), and Stellantis last year, which ultimately garnered record pay increases for workers, the union announced a campaign at several other non-unionized facilities. In addition to Volkswagen and Mercedes, the UAW announced plans to launch organizing efforts at Tesla, Rivian, and nine other automakers.
During the strikes, UAW President Shawn Fain also called employees at Tesla, Toyota and other automakers “members of the future,” later saying he hoped to bargain with the “Big Five or Six” in 2028, rather than just the Big Three.
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News
Starship Flight 8: SpaceX nails Super Heavy booster catch but loses upper stage
Flight 8 ended with mixed results as SpaceX nailed another Super Heavy Booster catch while the upper stage experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly.
SpaceX launched its eighth Starship test flight on Thursday, March 6, 2025, from its Starbase facility in South Texas. The mission aimed to advance the reusable rocket system’s development with a third successful booster recovery and a planned satellite simulator deployment by the Starship upper stage.
Flight 8 ended with mixed results as the Starship upper stage experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly during its ascent burn. The Super Heavy booster, however, returned successfully to Starbase’s launch tower.
Super Heavy Booster Achieves 3rd Successful Catch
The Super Heavy booster, designated Booster 15, roared to life at launch, propelling the 400-foot-tall Starship stack skyward. Less than three minutes after liftoff, it separated cleanly from the upper stage and began its descent back to Starbase.
The booster executed a pinpoint landing, getting caught midair by the launch tower’s massive “chopstick” arms. This marked the third test flight where SpaceX was able to successfully recover a Super Heavy booster, a critical step toward reducing costs by reusing the rocket’s first stage.
The crowd at South Padre Island, watching from across the water, erupted in cheers as the Super Heavy booster settled into the tower’s grasp.
Starship Upper Stage Lost
The mission’s upper stage, known as Ship 34, faced a starkly different fate. Intended to deploy four mock Starlink satellites and splash down in the ocean about 66 minutes after launch, the spacecraft encountered trouble during its ascent.
Videos posted on social media platform X showed Ship 34 disintegrating during its flight, echoing Flight 7’s upper-stage loss in January. SpaceX addressed the upper stage’s failure in a post on X.
“During Starship’s ascent burn, the vehicle experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly and contact was lost. Our team immediately began coordination with safety officials to implement pre-planned contingency responses. We will review the data from today’s flight test to better understand root cause. As always, success comes from what we learn, and today’s flight will offer additional lessons to improve Starship’s reliability,” SpaceX wrote in its post.
Watch SpaceX’s Starship Flight 8 livestream in the video below.
Lifestyle
Elon Musk seemingly confirms Cybertruck gift to 13-year-old cancer fighter
Diagnosed in 2018 with a rare form of brain and spine cancer with no cure, the teen has undergone 13 surgeries by the time he was 12.
Elon Musk has seemingly confirmed that he will be sending a Tesla Cybertruck to 13-year-old Devarjaye “DJ” Daniel, a 13-year-old Houston boy fighting brain cancer. The teen was recognized as an honorary Secret Service member by U.S. President Donald Trump during his address to Congress on Tuesday.
A Chance Meeting
The Tesla CEO’s Cybertruck pledge was mentioned during DJ’s short interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. When Collins asked the 13-year-old what he told the Tesla CEO, DJ answered that he asked for a Cybertruck.
“I said, ‘can you do me a big favor, when you get back to Houston can you send us a Cybertruck down there?’” the cancer fighter stated.
Daniel noted that Musk responded positively to his request, which was highlighted by Collins in a post on X. Musk responded to the post with a heart emoji, suggesting that he really will be sending a Cybertruck to the 13-year-old cancer fighter.
Teen’s Cancer Battle Inspires
Diagnosed in 2018 with a rare form of brain and spine cancer with no cure, Daniel has undergone 13 surgeries by the time he was 12. During his speech, Trump highlighted the 13-year-old’s long battle with his disease.
“Joining us in the gallery tonight is a young man who truly loves our police. The doctors gave him five months at most to live. That was more than six years ago. Since that time, DJ and his dad have been on a quest to make his dream come true,” Trump stated.
Daniels officially received an honorary badge from U.S. Secret Service Director Sean Curran, to much applause during the event.
Surprisingly Partisan
While Daniels’ story has been inspiring, Trump’s focus on the 13-year-old cancer fighter has received its own fair share of criticism. MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace, while referencing Daniels’ love for law enforcement, noted that she is hoping the 13-year-old never has to defend the U.S. capitol against Trump supporters. “If he does, I hope he isn’t one of the six who loses his life to suicide,” Wallace stated.
Anti-Musk and Trump accounts on X have also thrown jokes at the cancer fighter’s honorary badge, with some dubbing the 13-year-old as a “DEI hire” that should be looked into by DOGE.
News
Arrest made after Tesla Salem site attacked with Molotov cocktails
The suspect faces a federal charge of illegally possessing an unregistered destructive device.
A 41-year-old Salem man was arrested Tuesday for allegedly throwing Molotov cocktails at a Tesla store on January 20. Court documents indicated that the man’s attack caused around $500,000 in damages.
The suspect faces a federal charge of illegally possessing an unregistered destructive device, which were described as Molotov cocktails. Seven vehicles were damaged and one was destroyed in the attack on the Tesla location.
Fires Erupt at Tesla Store
At 3:45 a.m. on January 20, Salem Police responded to reports of Molotov cocktails being thrown at the Tesla store. Officers found a fire on the sidewalk and another in a parked vehicle’s rear. An eyewitness noted that someone thew five or six objects during the incident, as noted in a report from the Statesman Journal.
Suspect Caught on Camera
Surveillance footage showed the man throwing a “Molotov Cocktail-style device” at a truck, which bounced off without igniting. He also aimed an AR-15-style rifle at a witness who was driving away. The suspect hurled a rock through the Salem Tesla store’s window as well.
A patrol car’s camera captured the suspect’s vehicle nearby, tying him to the scene. Surveillance video, fingerprints on glass bottles recovered at the scene, and a vehicle registered to the man led ultimately to his arrest.
Tesla Vandalism Trend
Tesla stores across the United States and abroad have been the target of vandalism incidents as of late, thanks in part to CEO Elon Musk’s increasing involvement in politics and his close work with U.S. President Donald Trump. Interestingly enough, previous reports have indicated that the Salem Tesla store was also the victim of an attack last month, when gunfire shattered widows at the location.
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