The National Labor Relations Board filed Thursday a complaint against Tesla alleging workers were discouraged from distributing pro-union information, stopped from talking about employee safety to the United Auto Workers (UAW) union, and stopped from photographing the confidentiality agreement they had to sign.
Tesla fired back saying the complaints were without merit.
“As we approach Labor Day weekend, there’s a certain irony in just how far the UAW has strayed from the original mission of the American labor movement,” Tesla said in a statement. “Faced with declining membership, an overwhelming loss at a Nissan plant earlier this month, corruption charges that were recently leveled against union leaders who misused UAW funds, and failure to gain traction with our employees, it’s no surprise the union is feeling pressured to continue its publicity campaign against Tesla.”
Tesla and the NLRB will appear at a hearing in November before an administrative law judge.
The complaint alleges:
- Tesla security guards and human resources agents told employees that they had to leave the Fremont, California, factory premises because they were distributing pro-union leaflets.
- A Human Resources Business Partner and an Environmental Health Safety and Sustainability Specialist “interrogated the employee about the employee’s Union and/or protected, concerted activities.”
- Asupervisor told his employees during a pre-shift meeting that they could not distribute any stickers or pamphlets that hadn’t been approved by Tesla first, or they would be fired.
Tesla employees earlier this year began complaining of working conditions and pushing for unionization.
Here’s Tesla’s statement in full:
“As we approach Labor Day weekend, there’s a certain irony in just how far the UAW has strayed from the original mission of the American labor movement, which once advocated so nobly for the rights of workers and is the reason we recognize this important holiday. Faced with declining membership, an overwhelming loss at a Nissan plant earlier this month, corruption charges that were recently leveled against union leaders who misused UAW funds, and failure to gain traction with our employees, it’s no surprise the union is feeling pressured to continue its publicity campaign against Tesla. For seven years, the UAW has used every tool in its playbook: misleading and outright false communications, unsolicited and unwelcomed visits to the homes of our employees, attempts to discredit Tesla publicly in the media, and now another tactic that has been used in every union campaign since the beginning of time – baseless ULP filings that are meant only to generate headlines. These allegations, which have been filed by the same contingent of union organizers who have been so outspoken with media, are entirely without merit. We will obviously be responding as part of the NLRB process.”