Thirty percent of the workers at the sole Hyundai plant in the U.S., in Alabama, have joined the United Auto Workers (UAW).

The announcement marks the third such public union drive at an automaker in the Southeast.

And it marks another step in the UAW’s push to make inroads into the region, where big business and state governments have worked together for decades to keep unions out.

In statements to the press, Hyundai workers argued the job was breaking down their bodies and quality of life for inadequate pay.