Tesla has laid off dozens of employees at its New York Gigafactory after a new unionization began this week, according to a formal complaint filed with the National Labor Relations Board.
The union initiative was first proposed by a group of workers who wanted higher wages, job protections, and less pressure/monitoring at work. The staff expressed their desire to join Workers United Upstate New York , which is known for unionizing countless Starbucks around the world.
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The workers plan to mobilize other Gigafactory New York employees as well.
According to a complaint filed by Workers United with the U.S. National Labor Relations Board, after announcing union plans on Tuesday, Tesla laid off dozens of employees at the factory – including several associated with the unionization effort.
Bloomberg reports on the complaint:
“In a filing with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), Workers United accused Tesla of illegally firing employees “in retaliation for union activity and to discourage union activity.” The union asked the labor board to seek a federal injunction “to prevent the irreparable destruction of workers’ rights resulting from Tesla’s unlawful conduct.”
Jaz Brisack, a Workers United organizer who works for the Tesla union, said:
“This is a form of collective retaliation against the group of workers who initiated this organizing effort. These measures are designed to terrify everyone about the potential consequences of their organizing.“.
While they argue that the layoffs employee union organizers at Tesla's New York Gigafactory believe this will help their effort.
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Sara Costantino, a Tesla employee on Giga New York's Autopilot team and a member of the union's organizing committee, commented:
“The message they're sending is very clear. They're trying to scare us. And I really think it's backfired on them. It's really opened people's eyes and shows that this is why we need a union“.
Retaliation against union organizing is illegal under U.S. , and complaints with the NLRB can lead to the reinstatement of laid-off workers with back pay, Bloomberg notes.
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This is not the first time Tesla has faced problems with the National Labor Relations Board, specifically for firing people associated with unions.
In 2021, the NLRB ruled that Tesla violated labor laws by firing an employee for supporting a union.
In the past, Musk delete has expressed his disapproval of unions and faced the wrath of the US National Labor Relations Board when they asked him to a 2018 tweet that said workers would lose their stock options if they formed a union.
Employees hope that the union and union organization at Tesla in general has the potential to bring many benefits, such as better wages and job security for employees, while also providing greater bargaining power during negotiations with management. Time will tell how the situation with employees and management will develop.
Source: electrek.co
