Union opponents fear plant workers will lose their open-door access to Taylor and other senior executives if a union is voted into the plant. Still, the plant has suffered growing pains. Mercedes-Benz originally planned to hire 1,500 associates by 2000. Employee complaints have grown about excessive overtime to meet higher production schedules. The plant currently runs 5 hours of overtime a week but management reduced Friday shifts back to eight hours to give workers a jump-start on their weekends.
Some workers also grumble at alternating between night and day shifts every two weeks.
However, annual employee turnover is less than 1 percent and unexcused absences run below 2 percent of all time worked. To address other worker concerns, Mercedes-Benz is looking at adding health care benefits for retirees and an employee fitness center. We are listening to our team members. Ala. It has had little luck enrolling workers in assembly plants owned by foreign automakers, especially in the South. In the traditionally nonunion state, many workers at the plant oppose the UAW drive.