Kay Ivey, Alabama House speaker blast union: 'Corrupt, shifty and a dangerous leech’

Alabama’s governor and House speaker blasted the United Auto Workers Thursday, continuing an ongoing tit-for-tat between the union and the state’s elected Republican officials over organizing efforts in its auto plants.

Alabama House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainsville, in an opinion piece, called the union “a dangerous leech” with a history of corruption.

“The UAW business model is simple: Weaponize the workforce, drive up costs, destroy quality and send the state’s auto industry up in smoke,” he said. “This shouldn’t be news to anyone – the UAW’s trail of destruction is well documented. Now that they’ve sucked all the blood out of cities like Detroit, they have southern states like Alabama in their crosshairs.”

Ivey shared Ledbetter’s op-ed on X:

Last week, Ivey joined five governors of Southern states in signing a letter decrying the union effort, warning that automakers could close their plants if the union effort continues.

In his op-ed, Ledbetter cited instances of corruption convictions involving UAW leadership over the last decade.

He also said UAW “used a strategy known as card-check” to unionize the Chattanooga Volkswagen plant. However, the election, which took place last Friday, employed a secret-ballot election overseen by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

A total of 3,613 votes were cast, with 73 percent, voting for representation by the UAW.

“Alabama has worked too hard to develop our automotive manufacturing industry to see it suffer the same fate as Michigan’s,” Ledbetter said. “We’re growing like never before, and for that to continue, we must keep the UAW out of our state.”

In January, Ivey said the union push by the UAW means that Alabama’s “model for economic success is under attack.” A month later, she called the union a “looming threat” to the state’s economy.

In April, after Alabama was recognized as the leading exporting state for automobiles, Ivey said on social media platform X, “It’s no wonder the UAW wants a piece of the pie here in Alabama.”

UAW President Shawn Fain has responded directly to Ivey’s comments as well, saying that Ivey was “damn right” about Alabama’s economic model being under attack.

“It’s under attack because workers are fed up with getting screwed,” Fain said. He also ridiculed the joint statement from the governors, calling them “liars.”