Tesla Unionization

[2daMoon]

In Sweden a Collective agreement is a base line. There would be absolutely nothing in a Collective agreement stopping Tesla from offering better terms. And those better terms could of course continue to include compensation through stocks in some way.

Well, okay then. What is the incentive for Tesla to complicate their business by joining into a collective agreement if they already operate at or better than the agreement would support?

Are you planning to continue to completely avoid answering all of the HARD QUESTIONS put to you?

You realize how, by avoiding these questions, you reveal yourself and IF Metall as being both manipulative and cagey by trying to press forward a desired narrative while disingenuously avoiding how the narrative conflicts with the available facts.

IF Metall appears to be trying to fix something that isn't broken.

Unless, the thing that is broken is actually IF Metall itself, then the bully tactics and obfuscation of facts begin to make quite a bit more sense.

 

[Buckminster]

In Sweden a Collective agreement is a base line. There would be absolutely nothing in a Collective agreement stopping Tesla from offering better terms. And those better terms could of course continue to include compensation through stocks in some way.

Can you see the other side at all?

I think that the disconnect perhaps comes from you thinking from a Swedish only perspective. Swedes are decent people (I have a limited personnel view here) that will mostly do the right thing. That is not the case in much of the rest of the world. I have seen a union cripple a business over the course of two decades. I had a 360 view from factory workers up to President. UK workers from top to bottom look after number one unless the culture is really good. Unions encourage low productivity.

There is a bigger picture here.

 

[heltok]

Do you know what came to my mind?

Our Swedish saying "offerkofta". Translates to 'wearing the victim cardigan'. On a corporation like Tesla?(!)... Yeah, right...

Again for the umpteenth time:
How come all other companies of Tesla's size in this sector in Sweden can manage this Collective agreement?...

Try again.

Another one. "Han som sa det" and "han var det or han som nämnde han klämde". Imo Tesla has been the quiet party in this conflict. They have said that the union is within their rights to strike and done their best to just go on with life. Meanwhile the union has been making a lot of fuss about Tesla forcing them to do this, that the entire swedish model is threatened by this act of not signing an agreement, how Tesla is the bad party in this fight. They seem to be wearing the offerkofta.

It was not until they thought the union crossed the legal line that they had enough, called it "insane" and sued transportstyrelsen and postnord but not the union.

How exactly have tesla been wearing any offerkofta? You cannot just state something with aleast giving an example. And any argument that can be used to make the exact counter argument is generally a very weak argument to use.

I get the feeling that you are a bit tired of fighting against the echo chamber here. But don't be lazy in your debating skills just because of that. Take your opponents best arguments and make them better, then debate those. Ignore the temptation to take the weak arguments and make them worse to argue those.

 

[Hiline]

It’s hard to see the end of this fight when it’s ideological on both sides. On the union side, they want to show other employers how powerful they are so they can maintain the status quo for decades to come - Tesla happens to compensate employees well but the union wants to set an example for other companies. On the Tesla side, they want to show they can function well worldwide without any union involvement - this is not specific to the Swedish unions but Tesla wants to set an example for all other countries they may do business with.

Backing down would be an ideological, and potentially existential, failure.

 

[Tiger]

In Sweden a Collective agreement is a base line. There would be absolutely nothing in a Collective agreement stopping Tesla from offering better terms. And those better terms could of course continue to include compensation through stocks in some way.

But the best thing is that it is voluntary for all parties.

 

[heltok]

Pro business newspaper:

SMEDJAN | Dags att stoppa fackets bärsärkagång

LO är beredda att driva Tesla ut ur Sverige, samtidigt som konflikten går ut över andra företag och privatpersoner. Det är uppenbart att facken har för stora befogenheter, skriver Albin Zettervall.

timbro.se

Sympathy measures are nothing new in the labor market, and just over 100 years ago were a particularly important industrial action for employers. If the companies could band together to lock out their workers in sympathy with an employer who had trouble with unruly workers, the strike funds soon ran out and the companies could starve out the unions. Employers have not used sympathy measures in modern times, largely because the labor market has fundamentally changed and it is very difficult to justify an owner shutting down his own production. It is therefore only trade unions that use sympathy measures offensively to put pressure on individual employers and industries during collective bargaining negotiations.

In this year's contract negotiations, all LO unions announced a strike when Green employers and Municipal had difficulty agreeing on the agreement for golf course workers. This after most other industries had just signed new collective agreements. It's no wonder that we have few strike days when LO can shut down large parts of Sweden if they don't get what they want.
***
One of the more famous examples that shows the absurd power the unions have is the salad bar Wild'n Fresh in Gothenburg, where the union started industrial action against the owner in 2007. The workplace had conditions as good as or better than the collective agreement in nine points out of ten. The last point was about insurance coverage, which the owner quickly addressed. No workers were affiliated with the union, but Municipal and Transport still took sympathetic measures. This led, among other things, to nobody coming and emptying rubbish, which became an environmental problem. After eight weeks of blockade, the pressure became too great, and the owner sold the business. The collective agreement was not requested by the workers, who instead lost their workplace. Unfortunately, Wild'n Fresh is not the only example, similar blockades that have led to entrepreneurs giving up have occurred in Linköping and Västerhaninge, among others.
It is absolutely outrageous that private individuals cannot get their car repaired.

Something that particularly stands out in today's conflict is how many of the union's strike actions are directly aimed at third parties. The union prevents garages covered by collective bargaining agreements from repairing Tesla cars, regardless of who owns the car. It would have made more sense if the union prevented Tesla-owned cars from being repaired. It is absolutely outrageous that private individuals cannot get their car repaired. The equivalent would be if, for example, a house manufacturer and the trade unions were in the crosshairs, and the trade union prevents a private person in his house from being allowed to fix his roof. Even companies that bought Tesla cars risk being hit hard. For a smaller taxi company, it can mean a financial disaster if you have a broken car that cannot be repaired.
Nor is it only Tesla-owning companies and private individuals who are affected. For workshops that repair Tesla cars, this means a large loss of income. "You can repair other cars, not Teslas," announced IF Metall's contract secretary Veli-Pekka Säikkälä. That is a very nonchalant statement.
"It won't be long before we have to lay people off"

Mölnlycke Lackering og Karosseriverkstad has 25 employees, and a large part of their customer base consists of Tesla cars. “We were among the first to start with Tesla in 2013. Now 70 percent of the business is Tesla. I honestly don't know how we're going to manage without having to do those jobs. It won't be long before we have to lay people off," says owner Björn Larsson to Dagens industri. IF Metall is willing to sacrifice Swedish jobs with a collective agreement in their fighting spirit.
In Tesla's case, it is clear that the workers are satisfied with their terms of employment, as they can easily switch to an employer affiliated with a collective agreement. Despite the fact that the collective agreement was not requested, the battle extends to smaller companies that have nothing to do with the conflict. It is unreasonable.
The conflict does not stop there either. ST and Seko have introduced an attention-grabbing sympathy measure which means that Postnord will not deliver mail to Tesla, which became particularly serious when the Swedish Transport Agency refused to hand out new license plates directly to the company. The authority believed that they were forced to send the license plates through Postnord, and therefore Tesla would not get them delivered. Tesla has sued both Postnord and the Swedish Transport Agency, and according to the court, the Swedish Transport Agency seems to have made an incorrect interpretation in favor of the union. The interim decision from the court gives Tesla the right to collect its signs directly from the manufacturer. Earlier this week, you could also read about an unannounced inspection that the Swedish Work Environment Authority carried out at Tesla in Mölndal, where they had remarks on a compressed air container where it is unclear whether it is approved or not.
Let's hope these situations are not due to government activism.
When it comes to labor law regulation, Sweden is not the right country, rather we stand out with extremely unregulated industrial action. When innocent companies suffer from the union's omnipotence, the conflict has gone too far. It is time to abolish, or at least severely limit, the right to sympathetic measures.

 

[2daMoon]

Perhaps the administrators of the union are unfamiliar with another phrase, "Shooting yourself in the foot"

This describes the act of someone crippling themselves by their own actions.

 

[heltok]

"A few" of the car workshops have received a dispensation from IF Metall, and can continue to service Tesla cars.

Så slår Teslastrejken mot verkstäder

Bilverkstäder som servar Telsabilar har varit indragna i strejken mot Tesla under en månads tid. Det drabbar många företag hårt, enligt Motorbranschens arbetsgivareförbund.<br/>IF Metall anser att den utvidgade blockaden är nödvändig.

www.gp.se

This is how the Tesla strike hits workshops
Bil workshops that service Telsabilar have been involved in the strike against Tesla for a month. It hits many companies hard, according to the Motor Industry Employers' Association.
IF Metall believes that the extended blockade is necessary.

- In the long term, it will be difficult for many of our affected member companies to get their finances together, says Hanna Alsén, head of negotiations at the Motor Industry Employers' Association.

The strike against Tesla is due to the car giant not wanting to sign a collective agreement. Since nothing is happening, the union IF Metall has extended the strike so that other car workshops are also no longer allowed to service or repaint any Tesla cars.

Right now, around 60 companies in the motor industry are affected by the extended blockade, which has been going on for a month. Some of the companies have only had a few Tesla cars in the past, while others are used to receiving many insurance cases and are therefore hit hard financially now, according to the employers' organization.

The motor industry's employers' association believes that IF Metall should return to only targeting Tesla. But IF Metall does not agree with that.

- The reason why we have to implement sympathy measures is that Tesla organizes strike breakers and brings in labor from abroad, among other things. They behave as companies did in Sweden 100 years ago, says Veli-Pekka Säikkälä, contract secretary at IF Metall.

Without the targeted sympathy measures, the strike would not have an effect, he believes.

- The motor industry employers' association should direct its anger at Tesla instead, says Veli-Pekka Säikkälä.

Compensation to be sought
"A few" of the car workshops have received a dispensation from IF Metall, and can continue to service Tesla cars.

The others can apply for compensation from the employers' organization Swedish business, which must have a conflict fund for just this type of occasion.

But none of the employers' organizations answer how big the fund is or how many companies have been granted.

Regardless, the compensation from the fund does not cover all the costs that arise during a blockade, according to Hanna Alsén, for example when it comes to investments in special tools or equipment for Tesla cars. In addition, there is a risk that customers will not return when the conflict has blown over, but will continue to turn to companies without a collective agreement, according to her.

- I understand IF Metall's approach in that they want a collective agreement with Telsa and have seen themselves forced to step up, but at the same time I must state that it affects our member companies, says Hanna Alsén.

But you also want Tesla to sign a collective agreement, how is that going to happen without an extended blockade?

- It is a question for IF Metall how they design their industrial action.

 

[MP3Mike]

In addition, there is a risk that customers will not return when the conflict has blown over, but will continue to turn to companies without a collective agreement, according to her.

What? Tell me it isn't so.

There are companies without a collective agreement? And they are still allowed to operate? So, they are just singling out Tesla.

 

[Buckminster]

Guessing that Elon will end up buying some of these bankrupt companies.

 

[BioSehnsucht]

Wow, the employer union also must charge their members fees, to support a fund capable of supporting businesses during strikes. The mental image of both sides unions paying everyone to do nothing and survive doing it is hilarious. That's peak union.

 

[heltok]

Pro union news paper not thinking through what they are saying:

Tesla håller inne bonus för de som strejkar.

Anställda som har jobbat på Tesla länge har tjänat miljoner på att de har fått aktier i företaget. Tesla hotar att hålla inne aktier för dem som strejkar – men facket lovar att ta strid för att medlemmarna inte ska drabbas.

arbetet.se

Tesla shares in danger of striking - this is how IF Metall responds​

Employees who have worked at Tesla for a long time have made millions by being given shares in the company. Tesla threatens to withhold shares for those who strike - but the union promises to fight so that members are not affected.

• Mårten Martos Nilsson

Published
Yesterday 06.53
Elon Musk and IF Metall's federal lawyer Darko Davidovic. Image: Daniel Roos/Mark Lennihan/TT
In the US, Tesla has threatened employees who want to join the union with the withdrawal of the allocation of shares they would normally receive.
Tesla is now using the same threat against those who participate in the strike at Tesla in Sweden, something that Dagens Arbete has told about.

It is about the bonus that the service technicians are offered when they are hired, and which in total amounts to between 6,000 and 9,000 dollars, that is, 62,000 - 94,000 kroner.
The employee can choose whether he or she wants the bonus in cash or Tesla shares.
But whatever the employee chooses, the bonus is not paid out immediately.
Only after one year of employment do 25 percent of the money or shares become available in the employee's account.
After that, an additional 6.25 percent of the bonus sum is distributed on a certain date every quarter. After four years of employment, the entire bonus is transferred to the employee.
- That the shares become available is called that they become "vested", says an employee at Tesla to Arbetet.
- On my account, I can see how many shares are vested, that is, mine. And what date the next vesting should take place.

Strikers will be without​

According to the employee, who is a service technician, those participating in the strike will not receive the "vesting" now in early December.
- They can keep the shares that are already vested, but the ones that are released quarterly, those on strike do not get access to.
Whether those on strike will get access to the shares Tesla holds when the conflict is over is unclear, according to the employee.
- There has been no word on that.

The union is fighting​

The risk of missing out on share allocations or cash bonuses reasonably affects the willingness to participate in IF Metall's strike.
But Tesla cannot withdraw this benefit for its employees, according to IF Metall's union lawyer Darko Davidovic.
The bonus is regulated in an appendix to the employment contract, which Darko Davidovic has reviewed in detail.
The bonus is not paid by the service technicians' employer, TM Sweden, but by the parent company Tesla, and Tesla emphasizes in the document that it should not be seen as compensation for work performed.
- According to the agreement, the bonus is independent work. You get it as long as you are employed. And those who strike are still employed, says Darko Davidovic.
According to Darko Davidovic, IF Metall will push for the demand that those participating in the strike receive their bonus, if Tesla were to withdraw it.
- Yes, we will do that. I can inform the members who are worried about losing the equity program: “No, you don't. And if you do that, we can run the process for you.”

"A Lottery"​

How much the employees have earned from their Tesla shares varies. According to Darko Davidovic, the employee is awarded all shares within the bonus program at the rate prevailing at the time of employment.
- So you are employed when the price is at its peak, the value of your shares decreases when the price falls. If you are lucky, the rate is instead at the bottom when you are hired and then the value increases. It will be a bit of a lottery.
According to the service technician that Arbetet spoke to, employees can choose to set aside a portion of their salary each month to buy shares in addition to the bonus program.
That money ends up in a fund that "buys" shares every six months. According to Arbetet's source, those purchases are not made at the exchange rate prevailing at the time of employment, but at the best exchange rate in the month in which the purchase is made.

"Millions Earned"​

Tesla's share price has fluctuated sharply. Today's rate of around $240 is lower than the peak levels of over $400 in the fall of 2021.
But the rate is many times higher than five years ago. According to the service technician who described the share program for Arbetet, employees who have been with since Tesla opened in Sweden have earned millions.
Tesla sees the employee stock program as important for employees to be committed to Tesla's success. In its sustainability report, Tesla writes: "We're all in it together".
When employees in the US wanted to unionize, Tesla and CEO Elon Musk threatened to withdraw their allocation of shares.

 

[BioSehnsucht]

Sounds like a nothing burger. If you don't show up to work, why would you earn benefits? If you go on strike surely you don't continue to earn vacation days either?

 

[heltok]

Another pro union article. Jonas Sjöstedt was the former leader of the leftist-party, formerly called the communist party before that name went out of fashion. When he was part of the government a few years ago he said he wanted to abolish private ownership of companies. Even the Swedish public TV news reacted to that statement.

Jonas Sjöstedt: Därför står vi strejkvakt utanför Tesla för IF Metall

Jonas Sjöstedt skriver om upplevelsen att vara strejkvakt i Umeå med Janne, Carina och Martin.

arbetet.se

Jonas Sjöstedt: That's why we stand guard outside Tesla for IF Metall

Most employees[in Umeå] are on strike. They are the ones who have requested a collective agreement and want to take conflict for their rights. During the strike, the employees are pickets or attend training.

Strike morale is high, but unfortunately the degree of organization is not equally high in all parts of the country.

Inside Tesla, the workshop is lit up, some employees are working. In addition, the company has brought in a couple of strike breakers from the south.

Tesla in Umeå has also completed sympathy measures by hiring another cleaning company and hiring a couple of Polish electricians to replace those who are taken out of sympathy measures.

Organized strike-breaking in Sweden 2023.

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Calm atmosphere
But the atmosphere is calm. Sympathizers from the public have delivered coffee bread to us, coffee bread which is now frozen through. Coffee is in thermoses on the table by the snow drift with IF Metall's beach flag to the side.

A loudspeaker plays Billy Bragg's "there is power in a union" at low volume. It feels very much like the Swedish trade union movement.

From the beginning of the conflict, the atmosphere was a little more tense. Tesla had hired some over-excited guards from a guard company who shouted at the strikers from IF Metall. But they have stopped doing that.

There are not many customers at Tesla this Friday afternoon. Martin talks about "Tesla shame" among the company's customers.

When someone comes or goes, we try to start a calm conversation and explain what the conflict is about. You can see that some find the situation uncomfortable, some try to excuse themselves, others rush past with averted eyes.

Older people are waiting to buy a Tesla car
An elderly couple who are considering buying a Tesla say that they should probably wait, "this thing about them not signing a contract doesn't feel good".

The strikers come from different workplaces in Umeå. Earlier this week, some have traveled all the way from Sundsvall or Skellefteå to be on strike duty in Umeå.

It is no problem to fill the schedule, some take time off from work in various industries to be involved. Even when there was a full blizzard, people stood there. You know what collective agreements mean and that if one company is allowed to dump the conditions, more can quickly follow suit.

We are talking about the fact that the strike may take time. What do we do when the temperature drops below minus 20? We are talking about coveralls and the possibility of shortening sessions from four to two hours.

Martin at IF Metall full of energy
Martin is full of energy, he works for IF Metall. He has contact with the employees at Tesla, even with some of them who work. The employees talk about an employer who puts pressure on them one by one.

Anyone who breaks the strike is promised better conditions and the opportunity for other tasks. The threat of the opposite hangs over those who strike. Then you are not so strong. People have bills to pay and families to support.

This is precisely why collective agreements and trade unions are needed. So that the company cannot pit workers against each other. So that we can act together so that everyone, not just some, will get good working conditions and because the agreement gives us security about what applies.

The hat on your head, not in your hand, when the boss calls you in for a call.

Many myths like the strike
Many myths are spread about the strike, not least on social media. But the benefits of collective agreements are clear to the employees at Tesla. Concrete things such as insurance, shorter working hours and the right to a part-time pension.

It is absolutely true that Tesla's technicians have higher wages than what is stated in the collective agreement. But the agreement is a floor, not a ceiling for the terms. Technologies for electric cars are in short supply. Even technicians at other workshops earn more than what is stated in the contract, and usually more than what you do at Tesla.

But if you are going to fight for better wages and conditions, you have to do it together, then collective agreements and organization are required. Otherwise, you are at the mercy of the employer's goodwill and discretion.

In the United States, the auto workers' union UAW has just carried out successful actions that have given large wage increases to those who build various American car brands. But the workers at Tesla in the US were left without a higher wage - they are not organized. Tesla does not enter into collective agreements anywhere in the world.

Tesla's owner Elon Musk is one of the world's richest men. He is also notoriously injudicious, capricious and anti-union, filled with his own greatness and excellence.

With such a moody owner, the security that the collective agreement provides is even more important.

IF Metall is recognized worldwide
When IF Metall challenges Musk, it gets attention all over the world. If you win, the good example can spread.

Next time it might be Tesla's technicians in Norway who get a contract, or the workers at Tesla's large factory in Berlin.

Maybe even the workers at Tesla's factories in the US who will now be without the pay rise that others get.

So when Carina, Janne and Martin pour coffee and talk to people in the dark in an industrial area in Umeå, it is in solidarity with other metal workers in Sweden and the world.

You do something for others - not just for yourself.

Elon Musk is a powerful man, but I think it will be Carina, Martin, Janne and solidarity that will win this.

 

[heltok]

Sounds like a nothing burger. If you don't show up to work, why would you earn benefits? If you go on strike surely you don't continue to earn vacation days either?

Yeah, but Tesla are threatening to take bonuses worth millions from them! Millions! And also the salaries are very bad...

 

[BioSehnsucht]

I wonder if the "shame" they are quoted as seeing in the customers they accost attempt to educate is maybe somewhat projected from their point of view.

All the behaviors of the customers they described sound more like various methods of trying to avoid conflict and/or unwanted conversations with random strangers to me, if they were feeling shameful I'd expect angry denials to be mentioned.

 

[2daMoon]

Quotes from the above article:

"You know what collective agreements mean and that if one company is allowed to dump the conditions, more can quickly follow suit."​

​

* "It is absolutely true that Tesla's technicians have higher wages than what is stated in the collective agreement."​

​

Here we are back at the REAL reason for all of this.

Because the conditions at Tesla already exceed those the union would be satisfied with*, the union's biggest concern is that if one company demonstrates that they can treat their employees well without some union forcing them into collective agreement, then, "more can quickly follow suit."

The unasked question is,

WHAT PROBLEM FOR THE EMPLOYEE OR EMPLOYER WOULD RESULT FROM THIS?​

The answer,

NONE AT ALL, except for the union becoming irrelevant, redundant, and unnecessary.​

The mere concept of an employer actually treating their employees well undermines everything that IF Metal stands for. Their primary purpose seems to be the same as unions anywhere else, undermine the employer to the benefit of the union (not necessarily the employee) and create roadblocks between employers and employees that stifle innovation and growth of the company.

 

[samppa]

All these swedish news outlets are just so unclear and confusing.

So far we have if metal claiming that 50% of mechanics are on strike. But its unclear whether its 50% of all Tesla mechanics, or 50% of mechanics that are union members.
Säikkäläs statements are purposefully unclear, so I'm thinking its the latter.

Surely someone must know who goes to work and who doesn't? This is a really odd guessing game.

IF Metal says this is an existential crisis.. well guess what, they did not have to start it!

Its like Putler and Ukraine. He could have just decided not to attack. Probably would have been much better for him and russia.

Ps Im critizing the union, not swedes. Swedes I know are wonderful, and I really like Sweden.

 

[SwedishAdvocate]

All these swedish news outlets are just so unclear and confusing.

So far we have if metal claiming that 50% of mechanics are on strike. But its unclear whether its 50% of all Tesla mechanics, or 50% of mechanics that are union members.
Säikkäläs statements are purposefully unclear, so I'm thinking its the latter.

Surely someone must know who goes to work and who doesn't? This is a really odd guessing game. [...

For someone who can read Swedish it's not the least bit "unclear". The union's paper clearly says that it is more than 50% of all the mechanics at Tesla in Sweden that currently are on strike.

Tesla Unionization

Do all IF Metall mechanics get paid the same rate and benefits no matter which shop they work for?

teslamotorsclub.com

 

[2daMoon]

For someone who can read Swedish it's not the least bit "unclear". The union's paper clearly says that it is more than 50% of all the mechanics at Tesla in Sweden that currently are on strike.

Tesla Unionization

Do all IF Metall mechanics get paid the same rate and benefits no matter which shop they work for?

teslamotorsclub.com

Are you implying that there are non-union Tesla employees who have joined the strike? I find that challenging to believe.

If you are not implying this, then it must be 50% of union mechanics in all actuality. 50% of union mechanics at Tesla Sweden might only be 1 employee. This also raises the question as to why the other 50% of union mechanics did NOT join the strike.

Why does IF Metall not provide the actual number of mechanics who have joined the strike?

Providing this data would offer the ability to fact check the figure. Oh, that also explains why an unclear percentage is given, doesn't it? The purpose is to spin the story, not provide basic facts which would undermine the emotional impact.


Please ask your IF Metall masters to provide concise data instead of misleading generalizations. Repeating this mistake reinforces the idea that they are running a propaganda campaign, rather than trying to address an actual problem.