insaneoctane
Well-Known Member
Excellent color and valuable perspective relative to Tesla. It's my belief that Tesla's labor workers (on average) are more motivated and productive than their UAW counterparts (on average). Tesla has worked very hard to ensure their labor workers are better compensated than standard UAW workers in an effort to preemptively avoid their labor force from unionizing (which they can do at any time). Tesla's effort and resulting productivity from their treatment of their labor force should be admired, not attacked....which this $4,500 EV rebate that is exclusive to UAW does.Regarding Unions…
I think it’s important to recognize that the Reno Gigafactory was built by Union Construction Workers. Much of the construction/shutdown work performed at Fremont is performed by Union workers. Unions are like any other type of organization, they include both good and bad.
I am a retired member of the IBEW; Union electrical contractors have prospered for nearly one hundred years despite paying exponentially better wages than their non-Union counterparts. The advantages of using Union labor for large construction projects are manifold. First and foremost, since large construction projects staff up and down to accommodate the different phases of the project; Unions provide the ability to supply trained/qualified employees to match the ebb and flow of staffing requirements.
My point is that Tesla is not a strictly non-Union company, they are not UAW. President Biden should take this into consideration.
The UAW is reacting to disruption — just as Tesla is disrupting the automotive, fossil fuel, and utility industries they are indeed disrupting employment. Full Self Driving will disrupt the jobs of Cab drivers, Truck drivers, and Delivery drivers. Tesla factory technologies, processes, and robotics will require fewer and fewer employees as they mature. They fact that electric vehicles are comprised of thousands of fewer parts than internal combustion engine cars will lead to fewer employees.
The UAW and President Biden are taking the traditional Luddite tack to preserve their market share. If I could have President Biden’s ear, I would suggest he read the “The Black Swan,” “The Rational Optimist,” “What Technology Wants,” and “The Nature of Technology.”
I have prospered as a Union electrician, I have benefited from what I consider to be a strong retirement plan. It would be disingenuous of me to criticize Unions. That said, technology evolves; in the end, it will be survival of the fittest. President Biden should make electric vehicle subsidies equitable and hire Andrew Yang as a ”Universal Basic Income” advisor.
Think of it this way, where is the per vehicle "UAW exclusive" credit where Tesla is better off having their labor force just join the UAW, even if it results in lower productivity for Tesla? Is it $2.5K? $4.5K? $10K? Why are we exploring this? And why would the US taxpayer want to explore this?