Thirty percent of the workers at the sole Hyundai plant in the U.S., in Alabama, have joined the United Auto Workers (UAW).
The announcement marks the third such public union drive at an automaker in the Southeast.
And it marks another step in the UAW’s push to make inroads into the region, where big business and state governments have worked together for decades to keep unions out.
In statements to the press, Hyundai workers argued the job was breaking down their bodies and quality of life for inadequate pay.
One worker complained of being written up for taking a scheduled absence to see her son’s basketball game, while others recounted being repeatedly pushed to work with debilitating chronic injuries.
“I’m getting close to retirement and the company has literally broken me down,” said Drena Smith, who has spent nearly two decades in the paint department.
“We need compensation for that when we retire. Not just a cake and a car discount for a car we can’t afford to buy because we won’t have any income. We need a real retirement, we need to win our union.”