West Alabama Friday Briefing

Workers at the Mercedes Benz plant in Vance filed with the National Labor Relations Board for a vote to join the United Auto Workers this morning. The petition has the backing of most of the 6,000 workers at the plant.

"At Mercedes, at Hyundai, and at hundreds of other companies, Alabama workers have made billions of dollars for executives and shareholders, but we haven’t gotten our fair share. We’re going to turn things around with this vote. We’re going to end the Alabama discount.” according to MBUSI measurement machine operator Jeremy Kimbrell.

Pro-union Mercedes workers and the union have accused the company of union busting activities.

For details click: Tuscaloosa Mercedes Workers Petition to Vote on Joining Union (tuscaloosathread.com).

The UAW and Gov. Ivey are trading barbs. Employees at Tuscaloosa County’s Mercedes plant are expected to ask for a union vote at any time. The Gov. has vowed to fight the organizing effort and told the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce it is a “looming threat” to the state’s economy. UAW President Shawn Fain claims Southern politicians “sense that things are changing.”

Alabama Secretary of Commerce Ellen McNair has publicly opposed the efforts. McNair even warned that “the days of Alabama being a premier destination for industry investment may be coming to an end.”

Major roadwork on Highway 43 North from Northside High School all the way up to the Fayette County line is underway. ALDOT Spokesman John McWilliams tells us every effort to mitigate traffic concerns during the last month of school is being made. The eight miles of work include paving, replacing guardrails and striping.

Bibb, Fayette, Greene, Hale, Lamar, Marengo, Perry, Pickens, Sumter, Tuscaloosa and Walker counties here is West Alabama are among those in the state included in U-S Small Business Administration Disaster Declaration.  Small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture, and most private nonprofit organizations with economic losses due to the drought that began in December last year are eligible for Economic Injury Disaster Loans.

Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via the SBA’s secure website at sba.gov/disaster and should apply under SBA declaration # 20063. Deadline to apply is July 1, 2024.

The 2024 Hurricane Season is expected to be a rough one according to information released by Colorado State University in its annual forecast.

Much warmer than normal waters in the Atlantic Basin, which includes the Gulf of Mexico, may bring more and stronger tropical activity to the Gulf Coast States.

For more details, click: 2024 Hurricane Season Outlook: What It Means for Alabama (tuscaloosathread.com).

A dead male was reportedly found inside a partially submerged vehicle in a pond, according to the Walker County Sheriff's Office. They believe foul play was involved in his death. The vehicle was found just off Homestead Road in the community of Dogtown between Spring Hill and Carbon Hill.

See: Body Found in Walker County Pond, Police Suspect Foul Play (tuscaloosathread.com).

Alabama’s potential for a statewide lottery is in limbo right now between two versions, one passed by the house, one with different wording in the senate. Greensboro Democrat Senator Bobby Singleton believes the only hope for a public vote is for a conference committee to work out the difference. Three members from each chamber will try to reach a compromise.