news

한어Русский языкEnglishFrançaisIndonesianSanskrit日本語DeutschPortuguêsΕλληνικάespañolItalianoSuomalainenLatina

Musk is at odds with the auto workers union again.

On August 12, local time, Tesla CEO Elon Musk publicly praised the practice of firing and threatening striking employees during a conversation with former US President Trump.

Trump said in the conversation that Musk's layoffs were the most brilliant. "I mean, I saw what you did, you walked in and just said, 'Do you want to quit?' They went on strike. I don't want to mention their names, but they went on strike, and then you said, 'It's okay, you all leave.'"

Trump was referring to the layoffs at X after Musk took over the social media Twitter in 2022 and renamed it X.

The United Auto Workers (UAW) then filed federal labor charges against Trump and Musk with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), accusing them of illegally threatening and intimidating workers who were striking to protect themselves.

Public information shows that UAW is one of the largest workers' associations in the United States. According to foreign media reports, UAW currently has more than 400,000 workers.

“When we say Donald Trump is a scab, we mean it. When we say Trump opposes everything our union stands for, we mean it,” UAW President Sean Fine said in a statement.

Fein also mentioned that under federal law, it is illegal to fire and threaten striking workers.

In response to this, Musk responded on X on the 13th: "The first two UAW chairmen went to jail for bribery and corruption. Now it seems that this guy (Fein) will join them!"

Musk has always been at odds with unions. Musk has long been outspoken against unionization, believing that unions will drag down corporate efficiency. Tesla has also been in conflict with union supporters for many years, and to this day, Tesla workers still do not have a union.

Previously, Musk opposed Tesla workers to form a union, which aroused strong dissatisfaction from the United Auto Workers (UAW). People familiar with the matter said that the UAW had pressured the White House to keep its distance from Musk.

Last September, the UAW launched a strike against the three major American automakers - General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis. After the strike, Musk sarcastically said, "The atmosphere in the Tesla and SpaceX factories is great. We all encourage playing music and having fun. This is very important for people to look forward to going to work!" He also added, "By the way, I pay my workers more than the UAW wants."