West Alabama Tuesday News Briefing

Topping the News:

As Mercedes workers vote on joining the United Auto Workers Union this week, employees at the Hyundai plant outside Montgomery are ramping up their effort to do the same. Dev Wakely with the Alabama Arise told reporters the employees want to make a livable wage, pay their bills and be able to purchase the product their labor produces.

There average salary for a Hyundai employee is $57,774 per year. 30% of Hyundai’s workers have signed union cards.

As Mercedes employees vote on a union this week, Gov. Ivey is warning them and other non-union auto workers a to be careful what they wish for. “Alabama is not Michigan,” Ivey told a Huntsville Chamber of Commerce meeting of approximately 1,000 people. “Huntsville … Tuscaloosa … they’re not Detroit. We want to ensure that Alabama values, not Detroit values, continue to define the future of this great state.”

Ivey pointed out the UAW's history of corruption, crippling strikes and auto industry jobs being sent to Mexico as reasons to vote no.

With the smallest population in the state and few businesses and industry to provide tax revenue, Greene County depends on bingo proceeds to provide government services.

Officials there had hoped passage of gaming and lottery bills in the legislature would provide more income. Now officials fear failure to do that will put services like Greene County Ambulance in financial jeopardy.

When Federal Pandemic funds for schools end this fall Alabama State School Superintendent Dr. Eric MacKey is warning the state stands to lose a billion dollars. He is cautioning local schools to prepare for staff and program cutbacks in about two years as a result. Mackey urges local school systems to prepare.

The Tuscaloosa City School System has already announced it is laying the groundwork to deal with the lost federal dollars.

Once a major abortion provider in Alabama, the West Alabama Women's Clinic has reopened in Tuscaloosa. With the Supreme Court outlawing pregnancy termination, the center has a new mission. It will provide, "inclusive, non-judgmental services to patients of all genders," according to a media release.

Alabama Football Safety Jaylen Key, Mr. Irrelevant, the last pick in the NFL Draft has signed $4 million 4-year NFL contract with the New York Jets. We all should be so irrelevant.