Workers at the automotive supplier Faurecia Interior Systems Inc. plant in Louisville, Ky., have elected to join the UAW.

A majority vote by the 172 workers at the plant gives them a union voice, the UAW said today in a statement.

Workers at the plant elected the UAW to represent them using a card system, a style of election which drew praise from UAW Region 8 Director Gary Casteel.

“Faurecia also deserves recognition for agreeing to use the majority recognition process, forgoing the approach of anti-union employers who force their employees into a divisive, disruptive and outdated election process,” Casteel said in a statement.

The Louisville plant opened in 2011 and produces the interiors for vehicles manufactured at Ford’s Louisville Assembly Plant and the General Motors Fairfax Assembly Plant in Kansas City, Kan.

The entrance of the UAW at the Faurecia plant comes as the union is trying to make inroads into plants in the region, notably those of foreign automakers.

In July 2012, workers at another Faurecia plant in Cottondale, Ala., voted 2 to 1 to join the UAW. But workers at a different Faurecia plant nearby rebuffed the union two months ago.

“We have worked for many years with various unions where our employees choose to be represented, as well as with employees who choose not to be represented,” said Stacie Tong, a Faurecia spokeswoman.

“While we prefer to work directly with our employees rather than through a third party, we respect the choice of our Louisville interior systems plant employees to be represented by the UAW. Faurecia will work with the UAW and the Louisville team to ensure the success of the plant, guided by the principles of the Faurecia Excellence System,” she said.

The company ranks No. 7 on the Automotive News list of the top 100 global suppliers with worldwide sales to automakers of $22.5 billion in 2012.