An Unusual Call for Help

American labor unions and civil rights organizations want Daimler AG (Mercedes-Benz) to take an active part in opposing an anti-immigration law in the state of Alabama.

Human rights activist Renata Soto stood before the annual meeting of the Daimler corporation in Berlin on Wednesday and appealed to management’s conscience: Support a movement to overturn Alabama’s HB56 anti-immigration law. Some in the assembly were bored by Soto’s appeal while others listened attentively. Soto later reported that they applauded at the end of her presentation.

It’s an unusual call by labor unions and civil rights organizations for help from several international automobile manufacturers. Since, in addition to Daimler, Honda and Hyundai also have a major manufacturing presence in Alabama, they’re seen as potential allies in getting the law overturned.

In order to motivate the three companies, the activists embarked on an intensive letter and personal visit campaign at the beginning of the year. Last month, they traveled to Korea for Hyundai’s annual meeting. On Monday of this week, they filed complaints against HB56 with the International Labor Organization (ILO). Next month they’re scheduled to meet with Honda.

In addition, on Jan. 19, three nearly identical letters were sent to Tokyo, Seoul and Stuttgart to the three respective CEOs of Honda, Hyundai and Daimler. The correspondents — including the heads of major labor organizations such as the United Auto Workers (UAW) and the Service Employee Union (SEIU) — asking for appointments to meet with representatives of management.

According to the SEIU, the letter addressed to “CEO Dr. Dieter Zetsche” at Daimler in Stuttgart has, to date, gone unanswered. When die Tageszeitung inquired about the letter, Daimler press spokesman Markus Mainka replied, “Only stockholders may attend the annual meeting.” The activists from the United States were already aware of this rule, and the right to attend and speak at the meeting was transferred over to American activists who were also Daimler stockholders.

They argue that the Daimler factory in Tuscaloosa received massive government subsidies. Daimler is one of the region’s main employers and has considerable influence in state government affairs. The activists also point to a 2000 U.N. global pact to which Daimler was a signatory. The pact stipulates, among other things,10 principles that protect the environment, combat corruption and defend human rights.

Daimler often boasts of its social commitments. The labor unions and rights activists argue that HB 56 restricts freedom of opinion and the right to assembly, as well as equal access to trade unions and other kinds of advocacy.

Delegation member Patricia Kupfer said that Daimler should have protested HB 56 last November when one of its own executives was arrested for not having his passport available to show police. She hopes the global campaign that her organization, America’s Voice, is carrying out will convince Daimler to support their demand that racism hurts the business environment in Alabama.

Support from Germany

While the American activists are proceeding on their own, they can count on sympathy from union members in Germany. Silke Ernst, spokesperson for Daimler’s General Works Council, said they had not gotten much advance notice of the HB 56 protest planned for the next day’s meeting, but that they agreed that their American counterparts, in concert with human rights organizations, were right in opposing possible human rights abuses.

The protesters are critical not only of immigration law in Alabama. In a complaint directed to Juan Samovia, General Director of the ILO, SEIU President Mary K. Henry also mentioned inaction on the part of U.S. President Barack Obama. “We believe that the U.S. government’s inability to act promptly and decisively to put in place a national policy related to immigration — attentive to international guarantees related to individual rights as well as to the rights of trade unions with immigrant members — has given the space to individual states to enact laws that are in flagrant violation of international norms,” Henry said.

From a group that is 2.1 million members strong and a reliable ally of the Democratic president, those are harsh words.