Portside

The United Auto Workers have filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board to represent workers at International Motors in Huntsville.

The union petition includes 220 full-time and part-time manufacturing workers, according to NLRB paperwork.

The petition excludes clerical employees and engineers, among others.

Illinois-based International Motors is a manufacturer of trucks, buses, engines and parts, among other items.

The Huntsville plant, on Short Pike Road Southwest, is a powertrain manufacturing facility, turning out diesel engines and transmissions.

The plant currently supplies International’s vehicle assembly plants in Springfield, Ohio and Escobedo, Mexico.

In a statement, International Motors said it respects the “right of all employees to establish unions and pursue employee representation.”

“We also remain committed to maintaining a fair and open dialogue with our employees, while fully complying with all applicable labor laws,” the statement reads. “Regardless of union-related activity, our focus continues to be on fostering a fair, competitive and supportive workplace for all our employees.”

Last year, the UAW’s executive board earmarked $40 million to fund an organizing push among non-union auto and electric battery workers, concentrating some of the money in the South.

But a high-profile push to unionize Mercedes-Benz’s plant in Tuscaloosa County failed by a margin of 597 votes.

And late last year, The Wall Street Journal reported that the UAW was shifting its strategy after the drive appeared to stall at Hyundai’s Montgomery plant.