Alabama
At Montgomery rally, Hyundai workers describe difficult working conditions • Alabama Reflector
Workers at Montgomery’s Hyundai plant described difficult working conditions and arbitrary scheduling at a rally Monday evening led by clergy and faith leaders.
The rally came amid a campaign led by the United Auto Workers to unionize the factory and an ongoing vote this week at Mercedes-Benz’s plant in Vance on whether to organize under the UAW.
“We have actually no voice inside of work,” said Gilbert Brooks, a 15-year veteran of the plant who works on machines that take sheet metal and shape them into vehicle parts. “Basically, it is one-sided. Pretty much what Hyundai says goes. They make and break their own rules. Pretty much, you can’t make plans because Hyundai has control basically.”
Brooks, who has been working to unionize the plant since 2014, and several of his colleagues described difficult work conditions, including irregular scheduling.
“If they say we are going to work this Saturday, then they can change it on a dime,” Brooks said. “If they say we don’t have to work, they can change that also. Basically, it is either you do, or you don’t.”
Others pointed to limited bathroom breaks and high temperatures that make it difficult to remain hydrated as they work.
“When I mean extremely hot, it gets so hot in there that you sweat,” said Robert Stozer, another Hyundai plant employee. “Some people have passed out there with the working conditions when it gets hot in the summertime.”
Nearly all those who spoke said they have dealt with health issues as a result of working at the plant. Brooks said he has had operations to address issues with his neck and rotator cuff. Kissy Cox, another Hyundai employee who spoke Monday, said she has had carpal tunnel surgery.
“I got another appointment, at the end of this month, because now my finger — if I close my hand — my middle finger, I have to lift it up with my other hand,” she said. “You have to keep working in the same conditions, with your hands hurting, until you see a doctor.”
Hyundai announced in 2002 that it would open a plant in Montgomery, lured like other auto manufacturers by low labor costs and a large government incentive package ($252.8 million) that included tax abatements, corporate income tax credits and road improvements. The factory opened in 2005.
UAW said in February that 30% of the workers at the Hyundai plant had signed union authorization cards, though it has not provided updates on the numbers since. Employees said they have made steady progress but were waiting to call a vote, and said they have faced push back from management.
“One thing they will do to make it difficult is tell people the plant is going to leave,” Stozer said. “They put all kinds of anti-union stuff on the television, and what the union cannot guarantee, and put all the thoughts into their mind so that they are scared.”
Efforts to form unions have been gathering momentum throughout the South. Volkswagen workers in Tennessee last month voted to organize a union. Mercedes-Benz’s union vote is the first to take place at that plant since it opened in 1997.
The union drives have come under sharp attack from state officials.
Gov. Kay Ivey has called unions “out of state interest groups” and on Monday signed SB 231 sponsored by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, which bans companies from receiving economic development incentives if they voluntarily recognize unions.
Another issue the employees cited was retirement.
“Once we leave, we have no insurance, nothing,” Brooks said. “We are just used, washed up, that is it. A 401K is not a pension, and for the work that we have done, that is what we need, something to continue to help us once we leave.”
The event was hosted by Bishop William J. Barber, II of the Poor People’s Campaign and other clergy members.
For roughly an hour Barber spoke of the need to unite all of those who are impoverished. He told of the profits made by Hyundai and how that benefit has not been extended to workers. Barber offered statistics of how impoverished people are in Alabama.
“Two adults have to earn $22 an hour just to have a basic, living wage,” he said. “Working at a minimum wage, you have to work 90 plus hours a week. Forty percent of this workforce makes less than $15 an hour.”
Barber said in an interview after the meeting that unionization would help improve the economic lot of the state, and referenced Alabama’s refusal to enter into Medicaid expansion offered under the Affordable Care Act.
“This state has too much poverty for governors to be fighting against something that is going to raise wages and give people benefits,” he said in an interview after the meeting. “Especially since these same governors denied hundreds of thousands of people health care through the Affordable Care Act.”
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Jacob Crews scored 20, and Anthony Robinson II added 19 in Missouri’s 85-77 win over Alabama State on Thursday night.
Crews shot 7 of 9 from the field, including 6 of 8 from the 3-point arc. Mark Mitchell added 15 points for Missouri (9-2), and Sebastian Mack added 10.
The Tigers had a 15-0 run in the first half, heading into the locker room up 52-39. Alabama State was held scoreless over a 4:19 drought in the middle of the second half to open a 9-0 run for the Tigers. The Hornets (3-8) responded with their own 10-0 run to bring the game within eight, 74-62. The Tigers regained control, though, to keep their eight-point lead the rest of the game, handing Alabama State their fourth loss in a row.
The Tigers shot 65% (33 of 51). Both teams shot 50% from the free-throw line.
Alabama State outscored Missouri in the final period, 38-33. Asjon Anderscon scored 23 for the Hornets, leading all players in scoring.
Up next
Missouri hosts Bethune-Cookman on Dec. 14.
Alabama State travels to Cincinnati to face the Bearcats on Dec. 17.
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Let’s crank up a Thursday edition of “The Joe Gaither Show on BamaCentral” with Mason Woods and Katie Windham as we start getting ready for next week’s College Football Playoff game between Alabama and Oklahoma. Windham detailed how the Crimson Tide can improve over the next few weeks, we discuss the team’s health and look back at our last road trip to Norman. The show then discusses the Heisman Trophy finalists before addressing a Kalen DeBoer coaching rumor.
The program opens by power ranking the holidays before discussing Windham’s three areas the Crimson Tide can improve over the next week. Our trio picks the easiest area the team can improve and how Alabama must perform in Norman. Windham details our last trip to Oklahoma as we go down memory lane to the Sooners’ 24-3 victory last season.
The show continues on by getting Windham’s thoughts on Alabama’a College Football Playoff selection and if the Crimson Tide actually deserved its place in the field. She brings up a unique aspect of Alabama’s blowout loss in the SEC Championship and how it played into the program’s inclusion in the College Football Playoffs.
We move from next week’s game into a small discussion on Notre Dame’s reaction of being left out of the field and how it relates to Alabama’s future home-and-home dates with the Fighting Irish. Will the two esteemed programs still face off in a few years?
The show heads into the only college football action of the weekend by highlighting the strong Heisman Trophy finalist field. Who brings home the bronze statue?
Lastly, we spend the final bit of the show talking about Michigan firing Sherrone Moore and the reports of the Wolverines considering persuing Kalen DeBeor for their next head coach. Will DeBoer leave Tuscaloosa for Ann Arbor?
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MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) – As holiday deliveries ramp up, a new Alabama law aims to deter package theft by raising penalties for so-called “porch piracy.” The law, which went into effect on October 1, 2025, makes repeated package theft a felony and can carry prison sentences of up to 10 years in the most serious cases.
What changed
Previously, many package thefts in Alabama were charged as misdemeanor theft because the value of individual stolen packages often fell below felony thresholds. Under the new law however, lawmakers established penalties that focus on the number of homes targeted rather than the dollar value of items stolen:
- Stealing from 1 to 9 homes: most serious misdemeanor
- Stealing from 10 to 29 homes: felony
- Stealing from 30 or more homes: can result in up to 10 years in prison
The law also increases penalties if stolen packages are used to commit identity theft or fraud. In addition, anyone who knowingly receives packages stolen by a porch pirate can be charged under the new rules.
Lawmakers weigh in
Senator April Weaver, one of the bill’s sponsors, said the change was meant to protect Alabama families during the holidays.
“It was really important to protect the people not only in my district but throughout the state of Alabama and to make sure their hard-earned money is going to their children’s Christmas,” she said.
On camera, Senator Weaver added with holiday humor, “It means the Grinch may have stolen Christmas in Whoville, but if he does it in Alabama, he’ll have plenty of time in state prison for his heart to grow three sizes.”
What police recommend if your package is stolen
If you discover a stolen package, law enforcement recommends:
- Report the theft to police immediately.
- Preserve any doorbell or surveillance footage that may show the theft.
- Contact the delivery company right away to report the missing item.
- Consider requiring a signature on delivery to reduce the risk of theft.
The law went into effect on October 1, 2025; this December marks the first holiday season it is in effect. Alabama is now one of more than a dozen states that have passed laws specifically targeting package theft. Supporters say the law sends a stronger message that porch piracy will no longer be treated as a minor offense.
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