Jeremy Kimbrell is a former autoworker with Mercedes-Benz in Alabama and a temporary organizer with the United Auto Workers.
Jeremy Kimbrell was fired from his job at an Alabama Mercedes-Benz factory after playing a leading role in the UAW’s failed effort to unionize the plant in 2024. Jacobin spoke to him about his experience and the union’s ongoing fight to organize the South.
Last week, the United Auto Workers faced a setback in its organizing drive with a union election loss at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Alabama. An autoworker at the factory reflects on why the union lost and what it might do differently next time.
The United Auto Workers have tried and failed to organize Mercedes-Benz’s Alabama plant several times before. With their current union drive, workers have thrown out the old organizing playbook — and their worker-led strategy is showing early signs of success.