Gigi Douban | September 23, 2015

The United Auto Workers Union scored a major victory Wednesday in Piedmont, Alabama where workers at truck seat manufacturer CVG voted in favor of joining the union. The company says it has been responsive to employee concerns, and invested millions to improve working conditions. But that wasn’t enough.

Workers at CVG cast ballots for three hours Wednesday, and the result was a solid 89-45 in favor of joining the UAW. Alan Amos, a welder at the plant, says workers were fed up with what they call low pay, poor working conditions and dwindling benefits.

“Today’s vote says to me that the unions are making a comeback in the South,” says Amos.

Unions have struggled for decades to gain traction in the region. CVG officials say they’ve met with employees at least monthly to stay on top of concerns. But Amos and other workers who make truck seats at the plant say until now, they haven’t been heard.