I grew up in a textile town once known as the “Hosiery Capital of the World,” so if you'd told me 20 years ago that Alabama would become the nation's largest exporter of automobiles, I probably wouldn't have believed you.

That all changed when Mercedes put down roots here in 1997. Over the past 27 years, Alabama's auto industry has grown from nonexistent to one of the largest in the nation, providing 47,000 good paying jobs to Alabamians.

Unfortunately, success often attracts leeches, and the United Auto Workers union is just that dangerous leech.

The UAW’s business model is simple: weaponize labor to raise costs, destroy quality, and kill the state’s auto industry.

This is nothing new to anyone. The UAW's trail of destruction is well documented. Now that they've drained the blood from cities like Detroit, they're targeting Southern states like Alabama.

When the UAW shows up at production facilities to make its sales pitch, this part is always left out: It's been proven that generations of UAW leaders have stolen from their members.

In July 2017, it was revealed that UAW leadership had pocketed millions of dollars intended for worker training.

Prosecutors said the UAW spent its members' money on items that provided no benefit to its members, including first-class air travel, solid gold pens, swimming pools, homes and Ferraris.

The scheme went on for years and led to dozens of convictions.

Dennis Williams, who served as UAW president from 2014 to 2018, pleaded guilty to embezzling money from union members.

Former UAW president Gary Jones was also convicted of embezzlement, but served only a small portion of his sentence and then returned to his home, worth millions of dollars.

Joe Ashton, who led negotiations between the UAW and General Motors in 2011, was sentenced to 30 months in prison for money laundering and wire fraud.

Former UAW vice president Norwood Jewell was sentenced to 15 months in prison for his role in a multi-million dollar corruption scandal involving Fiat Chrysler.

The list goes on and on.

The UAW leadership wants us to believe they have a tradition of fighting for autoworkers. The truth is they have a tradition of corruption, destruction and usury.

A few weeks ago, the UAW unionized the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, using a tactic called a card check, which is the UAW's preferred method for getting employees to announce whether they intend to unionize. This is exactly the tactic they are going to use at the Mercedes plant in Tuscaloosa.

The House passed SB231 to end this practice in Alabama and ensure that if a vote to unionize takes place, it is done through a secret ballot process that protects employees.

Alabama has put in a lot of effort to develop its auto manufacturing industry and cannot afford to suffer the same fate as Michigan.

We are growing like never before and in order for that to continue we must keep the UAW out of our state.

Nathaniel Leadbetter is the Speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives and represents the residents of the 24th District.