Hyundai Autoworkers in Alabama Launch Public Drive to Join UAW

Montgomery, Ala. — Hyundai autoworkers in Montgomery, Alabama, have reached a significant milestone in their campaign to join the UAW, with over 30 percent of workers signing union cards.

In a new video, “Montgomery Can’t Wait,” Hyundai workers talk about the connection between the current union movement and Montgomery’s civil rights history. This video is available at uaw.org/hyundai.

“I’m near retirement, and my work at Hyundai has physically broken me down. We need proper retirement benefits, not just a cake and a car discount we can’t afford because we won’t have any income,” says long-time employee Drena Smith.

“I don’t want the younger generation to go through what we did. The price of Hyundai's cars increase every year, but our pay doesn’t. Without the union, our wages will never keep up,” says Dewayne Naylor, a member of the Quality Control team.

“With the union, we can improve our pay and benefits. This doesn’t only benefit us, but also the quality of the products we manufacture,” says Ronald Terry, a team member on Final 3 and 5 in General Assembly.

“When injured, we are pressured to return to work too soon. We need safer working conditions, and this is why we need the union,” says Peggy Howard, a General Assembly worker.

“My job was deemed more important than my family. That was a wake-up call that things at Hyundai had gone too far,” says Quichelle Liggins, a Quality Inspector at Hyundai.

The announcement signifies another major breakthrough in the national movement of non-union autoworkers organizing to join the UAW. Over 10,000 non-union autoworkers have signed union cards recently, with campaigns launched at Volkswagen and Mercedes, while workers at over two dozen other plants continue to organize.