According to Tesla Workers United, several employees at a Tesla facility in Buffalo, New York, were fired the day after announcing a union push.
The organization claimed in a statement on Thursday that employees got an email about 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday informing them of a new policy prohibiting the filming of workplace meetings without the consent of all participants. The TWU asserts that the policy violates federal labor law and is in violation of New York’s one-party consent legislation for recording conversations.
“I was absent from the office because to COVID, and then I had to take a bereavement leave. I went to work and was informed I was exceeding expectations; however, Wednesday arrived “Arian Berek, a member of the organizing committee who was terminated, stated in a statement. “I strongly feel this is in retaliation to the committee announcement, and it’s shameful.”
The Tesla gigafactory, which manufactures solar panels and other renewable energy technologies, is not far from a Starbucks location where unionization was approved last year.
TWU reported that “dozens” of employees were terminated. The group deemed the firings unjustified and stated that Tesla’s demands of its employees are “unfair, unattainable, ambiguous and ever-changing.”
We’re furious. Yet, this will not impede or halt us. They wish for us to feel frightened, but they have simply caused a stampede. These firings are exactly why Tesla needs a union. We believe that we can accomplish this, but more importantly, we believe that we WILL accomplish this.
— TeslaWorkersUnited (16 February 2023) (@united tesla)
“We’re furious. Yet, this will not impede or halt us. They wish to terrify us, but they have merely sparked a stampede “The union tweeted the following. “These dismissals are exactly why we need a union. We feel that we can accomplish this, but more importantly, we believe that we WILL accomplish this.”
Compliant lodged
The Rochester Area Joint Board of Workers United has filed a charge of unfair labor practices against Tesla with the National Labor Relations Board.
In the complaint, the organization cites the names of several terminated employees from the autopilot section of the manufacturing. The organization asserts that Tesla “terminated these individuals in retaliation for union activity and to discourage union activity.” It seeks injunctive action from the NLRB “to prevent irreparable destruction of employee rights resulting from Tesla’s unlawful conduct.”
In a letter to management dated Tuesday, the Tesla Workers United organizing committee stated that employees at the Buffalo facility are seeking a voice on the job and want to “build an even more collaborative environment that will strengthen the company.”
Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, has maintained a harsh stance against organized labor, despite having invited the United Auto Workers union to hold an organizing vote at Tesla’s Fremont, California facility.
The National Labor Relations Board ordered Tesla in 2021 to have Musk delete a 2018 tweet in which he allegedly threatened to revoke employee stock options if they elected to be represented by the United Automobile Workers. (The tweet is still visible on the platform.) Musk has also described unions as “just another corporation.”
A union is comparable to a business. It is far preferable for multiple organizations to compete for your expertise, so that you have the most options.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 26, 2022
A request for comment addressed to Tesla through email was returned as undeliverable. According to widespread reports, Tesla has eliminated its public relations team.
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