The UAW early Wednesday struck a ZF Group plant in Tuscaloosa, Ala., that builds front and rear axles for Mercedes-Benz vehicles built nearby.
It was not immediately clear what impact the strike is having on vehicle assembly at the automaker’s Vance, Ala., plant, where it builds the GLE, GLS, EQE and EQS, according to the Automotive News Data Center.
Spokespeople for Mercedes did not immediately return a request for comment.
About 190 workers at ZF’s chassis systems plant in Tuscaloosa walked out at 5 a.m. local time. Core issues for workers there include wages and a tiered-wage structure, in addition to health care coverage, which a union source said “might be the lead issue” for UAW Local 2083, which represents the workers.
Representatives for Local 2083 could not be reached for comment.
In an email, ZF spokesperson Tony Sapienza confirmed that UAW-represented workers at the Tuscaloosa plant elected to go on strike but said the plant would continue to run.
“We remain committed to continuing negotiations in good faith and are hopeful that we can come to a resolution soon,” he said.
The strike against ZF comes amid the UAW’s larger strike against the Detroit 3, which began last Friday with workers walking out at three assembly plants. The union has set a deadline of noon Friday for General Motors, Ford and Stellantis to make “serious progress” in negotiations before it expands the strike to additional plants.
Suppliers have been closely monitoring the UAW strike for its impact on their operations and bottom line. Many companies have warned that smaller suppliers, including Tier 2 and Tier 3 parts makers, are at risk of going under if the strike persists after years of higher costs and uneven new-vehicle production.
ZF, based in Friedrichshafen, Germany, ranks No. 3 on the Automotive News list of the top 100 global suppliers with worldwide sales to automakers of $42.1 billion in 2022.
