By Matthew Tyson, an Anniston native, a writer, and a representative of the Democrats for Life of America. You can contact him at matthewallentyson@gmail.com

If you were to ask someone to describe Alabama, "union-friendly" is likely the last thing you would hear. As both a "right to work" and "at will" state, even mentioning the word "union" on the clock is enough to get some people fired. And with a largely conservative constituency, you'll often find union opposition at almost every level of the corporate hierarchy. Today, union workers account for barely 10% of Alabama's labor force--a long fall from the heavily organized days of the early 20th century.

Opponents of organized labor like to describe themselves as "pro-business", claiming that unions bring far more harm than good. Yet, reality tells a different story. Without proper representation, the men and women of Alabama's working class are subject to low wages, forced overtime, unfair discipline, and job insecurity. Employees have little to no voice when it comes their labor, and one group of workers in Anniston have decided they have had enough.

They're Not Gonna Take It

Since September of 2015, employees at Anniston's New Flyer plant (formerly NABI) have been working towards unionization in order to combat what they feel is widespread injustice in the work place.

IUE-CWA, the Industrial Division of the Communications Workers of America

"I feel it's necessary so we can have a voice at work," said Charlie Pace, a welder at New Flyer. "We {want to} have fairness and equality at work, and basically for everyone else to have a say in their pay and benefits."

The workers are being organized under the Industrial Division of the Communication Workers of America (IUE-CWA). The IUE-CWA (which already represents New Flyer plants in other parts of the country) is a segment of Jobs to Move America--a coalition of unions seeking to create a better transit system, retain American manufacturing jobs, and generate more employment opportunities for veterans and low-income citizens. The goal for unionization is simple: raise the terms and conditions of work here in Anniston to the level of the northern plants, which make the same bus for the same customers.

For months, representatives from IUE-CWA met privately and under the radar with a committee of New Flyer employees to discuss a number of issues and concerns. It was uncovered that, due to a backlog of orders, workers are consistently forced to work overtime or face disciplinary action, often on very short notice. They are also subject to non-progressive disparity in pay, meaning that some workers are going 5 or more years without a raise, and they are forced to use their vacation time during periods of mandatory shutdown, which can sometimes be as long as two weeks.

"It's what we call a hot shop," said Dick Blin, the CWA organizer working with the New Flyer committee. "It means they were ready to unionize."

Other issues brought to the table included a lack of unilateral discipline, the lack of an appeals process for safety concerns, the loss of a $500 Christmas bonus, and an overall absence of dignity--including racism and sexism.

"They don't put any value into you," said Gabe Harrell, who works in assembly. "There's no opportunity."

Harrell also cited safety as one of his biggest concerns. At the New Flyer plant in Minnesota, where the workers are unionized, there is a process with specific guidelines for addressing issues with safety. At the Anniston plant, no such process exists.

"I've argued with supervisors over safety issues," Harrell said. "Safety concerns are being overlooked."

Despite the fact that New Flyer's corporate office does a fairly good job of working with unions, the management at the Anniston plant was less than pleased when they eventually caught wind of the activity.

"They brought the workers together to discourage them from forming a union," Blin said.

Employees say they were shown a one sided, anti-union video geared towards turning people against organizing. Others reported hearing talk of a supervisor who was allegedly offering rewards in return for information on employees involved with union activity.

Ultimately, however, the momentum has proven to be too much for management's scare tactics, and the unionization efforts continue to move forward, gaining more traction by the day. Blin says the corporate office even ordered management to back down, giving added protection to pro-union employees and allowing them to go public with their plans.

In February, the committee put out a petition in order to gain enough signatures to have the National Labor Relations Board come and hold an official election for the establishment of a CWA chapter at New Flyer. The committee only needed 30% of the workforce to give their signatures, which they quickly gained, but they're shooting for 60% or more. "We know we have some people here who don't want a union," Blin said.

"But we're confident we're going to win."

Bridging the Gap

During a time when the country is deeply divided by party lines, what's happening in Anniston is a breath of fresh air. From the employees' perspective, there is no political agenda here, no one party leading the effort. People from both sides of the aisle, Republican and Democrat, are joining together to fight for a universal cause, for their rights as workers.

If the workers in Anniston succeed in forming a union, it will send a message that will resonate throughout the state. It will show that right and wrong can't be boiled down to simply left versus right. But most importantly, it will show the people of Alabama what's possible when we put aside our differences and fight for a common good.