February 17, 2023
According to a press release issued by the Workers United union, Tesla has been accused of firing more than 30 employees from its Buffalo, New York plant just one day after workers there announced their intention to form a union.
The union has filed a complaint with the US National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), alleging that at least one of the fired workers was a member of the 25-member organizing committee, and that several others had participated in labor negotiations. In response, the NLRB filed a complaint against Tesla, accusing the company of illegally terminating several employees who were organizing a union at the company’s Buffalo, New York plant.
According to the NLRB, Tesla violated federal labor laws by firing employees for participating in union activities. The company is also accused of engaging in other anti-union tactics, such as intimidating and interrogating employees about their union organizing efforts, according to the complaint.
This is not the first time Tesla has been accused of such. For several years, the company has been at odds with workers at its Buffalo facility who have been attempting to form a union. The National Labor Relations Board ruled in 2019 that Tesla illegally interrogated and intimidated workers attempting to organize a union at the company’s Fremont, California, plant. The ruling required the company to hold a meeting at which CEO Elon Musk read a statement informing employees of their right to form a union.
An administrative law judge will now hear the case to determine whether Tesla’s actions were illegal and, if so, what penalties the company should face.
The sources for this piece include an article in TheVerge.
