Tesla Unionization

[TSemi]

https://x.com/ForeningenA/status/1736460831926141414?s=20.

Episode description

New spearhead companies are pushing the standards for Swedish class struggle. What conflicts are hidden behind the ongoing Tesla conflict? Aurora discusses tensions within both capital and the labor collective that come to light with IF Metall's strike at Tesla's workshops. Do all workers want a collective agreement? Which actors benefit from the Swedish model and which do not? How comfortable has IF Metall actually become with the model?
The episode was originally intended as part of a news sweep with three different news items in the same episode. Because we had a lot to talk about, it will instead be released as three separate episodes. This is the first.

 

[TSemi]

https://x.com/skitstropp/status/1736493901811225011?s=20

https://x.com/e_l_o_n_m_u_s_t/status/1736331762647679391?s=20

 

[Krugerrand]

As a strong advocate for free speech, I don't object to letting space to idiotic views like those of Alex Jones or Andrew Tate, but what has that to do with Tesla keeping quiet in Sweden?

Because the more IF Metall et al talk, the more they reveal their obsolescence, their true motives, and their uselessness.

It’s a situation where if you pay out enough rope, they’ll hang themselves.

Additionally, all the points you made in your previous post have all been talked about here.

Lastly, only 58% of self selected people in a poll are against Tesla!? That’s a fail, especially when we’ve been led to believe that the union and collective agreements are the be all and end all of the Swedish labor market and Sweden itself. That poll needed to show 95%+ against Tesla if we were to believe the Swedish system was so great and beloved by the whole country. Turns out, not so much.

 

[adiggs]

Elon is genius at letting the Overton Window take it's course. I don't know if it is premeditated or intuition, but he hasn't been wrong yet:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1736082262578331655

I'm confident the Swedes will come around.

Thank you for sharing that - great post and great info. That's a view of the world that I want to be right - that's a world I'd like to live in.

 

[TSemi]

A good strategy is often to show zero reaction and wait for the bully to get bored and move on to another target.

This isn't a good strategy because IF Metall *will not* "get bored and move on to another target". This fight with Tesla is too important to IF Metall. Not a good analogy.

This is what Tesla is doing, the energy of the strike increases whenever Tesla does something, but slowly dissipates when Tesla just does business as usual and being silient.

IF Metall will try and keep any energy going through any and all methods at their disposal.

This isn't necessarily a winning strategy in and of itself. There needs to be multiple approaches to this battle. Tesla is doing this by seeking to hire a Swedish government affairs specialist.

Tesla needs to convey that they are not against the worker(s), the rank and file of IF Metall but against collective bargaining agreements. Not an easy task and quite possibly an impossible one. Separating the collective bargaining agreement with the worker is really tough because with the view of workers it is ingrained, almost inseparable.

The union is making lots of noise, that's what you do when you are desperate.

And they will continue to make noise until they win, it's what they do, not because they are desperate.

I've been watching union battles for many, many years and they almost always win, especially in Europe(Look at the UAW recent wins with the Big 3 and in the past the Longshoremen and crane operators in California). And given Northern Europe's and most of Europe in general, general stance with unions they are used to winning.

I liked Tesla's strategy here. Accept that the union has the right to strike.

This is not the issue. The issue is collective bargaining agreements! Plain and simple!

I have yet seen an example where pleading, PR-campaigns etc worked to win against a bully.

The bully analogy is a very narrow one. This is much more complex of an issue for Tesla.

 

[TSemi]

Elon is genius at letting the Overton Window take it's course.

Meh. Overton Window has its flaws.

 

[Tiger]

This isn't a good strategy because IF Metall *will not* "get bored and move on to another target". This fight with Tesla is too important to IF Metall. Not a good analogy.

Maybe IF Metall has finally met it's match. Anyways, Tesla's small operations in Sweden might be too small to fry for long. If they burn their war chest on this they will be vulnerable to other companies retaliating same way.

Tesla has made tough bargain with China and India, you think they will give in to pesky Sweden?

This is not the issue. The issue is collective bargaining agreements! Plain and simple!

The best part is that they are voluntary. Change the law and Tesla will comply or exit. Or simply take out the poison pill element in the union agreement. Tesla wouldn't be the same if there was outside influence within its board.

 

[TSemi]

Tesla has made tough bargain with China and India, you think they will give in to pesky Sweden?

No, of course not. And I don't think Elon/Tesla view Sweden(this includes all Nordic countries, except Iceland, as their unions have joined in the sympathy strikes) as "pesky". It is a challenge for Tesla to overcome.

Tesla wouldn't be the same if there was outside influence within its board.

I'm having difficulty understanding this fully. Could you elaborate?

 

[CitizenKane]

Because the more IF Metall et al talk, the more they reveal their obsolescence, their true motives, and their uselessness.

It’s a situation where if you pay out enough rope, they’ll hang themselves.

Additionally, all the points you made in your previous post have all been talked about here.

Lastly, only 58% of self selected people in a poll are against Tesla!? That’s a fail, especially when we’ve been led to believe that the union and collective agreements are the be all and end all of the Swedish labor market and Sweden itself. That poll needed to show 95%+ against Tesla if we were to believe the Swedish system was so great and beloved by the whole country. Turns out, not so much.

I don't know how much you follow Swedish media, but that's not how I see things evolving here. IF Metall has acted in a way that is preposterous and still a majority support their actions. I believe that could have been handled considerably better by Tesla by just engaging in the discourse and explain their position. Now their motives are being stated by others and hence, Tesla's brand takes an unnecessary hit.

 

[SwTslaGrl]

I think the IF Metall strike over a voluntary agreement has no grounds. There are far more important issues unions in general can work on, for example looking after members in in the building industry where there are a rising number of deaths due to safety issues. They could ensure members only work in safe environments and pressure employers to fix issues.

 

[CitizenKane]

No source on this, but if this X post is correct, apparently 16 Nordic funds are threatening to sell their @tsla position if Tesla does not sign a collective agreement with IF Metall.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1736691844753346862

Based on multiple media reports in Sweden it is indeed correct: 16 stora investerare i brev till Tesla: Teckna kollektivavtal - Nyheter (Ekot)

The institutions mentioned are however heavily intertwined with the Unions. One Swedish insurer, Folksam, has a board with the "CFO" of IF Metall and as its chairman a woman who is also chairman of the largest Swedish organisation for Unions, LO. Folksam — koncernledning och styrelser - Folksam

I wrote a brief background to how Swedish unions, pension funds and the social democratic party are intermingled in the other thread on the strike in Sweden. Here it perhaps suffices to say that their main objective is not necessarily to maximise their investments in Tesla...

 

[CitizenKane]

It would lead to Tesla winning the union fight. I'm guessing you disagree with that or think it would take too long?

Let's say Tesla "wins", in the sense that the Union gives up its fight to force Tesla to sign a collective bargaining agreement. I see that as unlikely given earlier similar disputes (Toys R Us probably the most famous one) But even if that happened, a lot of left leaning potential Tesla buyers now dislike the brand and are less likely to purchase the car. It would be winning a battle but losing a war. A much smarter strategy would have been to find a pragmatic, quiet, local solution while making sure that is does not effect Tesla's global strategy. I think a smart communication strategy could have both made Tesla look good locally and still explain why unions in the US are not in Tesla employees interest.

 

[spacerfc]

I wrote a brief background to how Swedish unions, pension funds and the social democratic party are intermingled in the other thread on the strike in Sweden. Here it perhaps suffices to say that their main objective is not necessarily to maximise their investments in Tesla...

In other words, these companies are knee deep in politics, yet here people are criticizing Elon being overtly political...

 

[Buckminster]

Let's say Tesla "wins", in the sense that the Union gives up its fight to force Tesla to sign a collective bargaining agreement. I see that as unlikely given earlier similar disputes (Toys R Us probably the most famous one) But even if that happened, a lot of left leaning potential Tesla buyers now dislike the brand and are less likely to purchase the car. It would be winning a battle but losing a war. A much smarter strategy would have been to find a pragmatic, quiet, local solution while making sure that is does not effect Tesla's global strategy. I think a smart communication strategy could have both made Tesla look good locally and still explain why unions in the US are not in Tesla employees interest.

Elon's war is getting a million people on Mars. Losing some buyers in Scandinavia is not a battle. More of a skirmish.

The battle is ensuring most of the world can see the truth (and therefore losing their futures to unionization etc.).

 

[CitizenKane]

In other words, these companies are knee deep in politics, yet here people are criticizing Elon being overtly political...

Yes, what does one thing have to do with the other? No one here invests in union owned Nordic pension funds and if Musk/Tesla had been a bit smarter this dispute could have been avoided and no damage done to its brand.

 

[CitizenKane]

Elon's war is getting a million people on Mars. Losing some buyers in Scandinavia is not a battle. More of a skirmish.

The battle is ensuring most of the world can see the truth (and therefore losing their futures to unionization etc.).

Alrighty then. Personally, I did not invest in Tesla to put a million people on Mars or to wager some battle against unions.

 

[Christine69420]

No source on this, but if this X post is correct, apparently 16 Nordic funds are threatening to sell their @tsla position if Tesla does not sign a collective agreement with IF Metall.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1736691844753346862

Would love to see the full list. But at least some of these have links to or were established by unions. So not very surprising.

Sad to see the unions sabotaging the future pension value available to their members. Thanks to the collective agreement many companies have signed both blue and white collar workers - including myself back in the day - feel they have no choice but to become union members. IMHO most members are just ordinary working people with little political interest. Now their pension funds are shooting themselves in the foot.

 

[2daMoon]

No source on this, but if this X post is correct, apparently 16 Nordic funds are threatening to sell their @tsla position if Tesla does not sign a collective agreement with IF Metall.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1736691844753346862

This is exactly what Elon has always suggested ambivalent investors should do.

They can decide in a few years if they are happy with their decision to sell.

 

[Zuikkis]

a lot of left leaning potential Tesla buyers now dislike the brand and are less likely to purchase the car.

"Left leaning" people already dislike the brand because of Elon's "right leaning" tweets and too close contacts with Putin and Trump. I doubt some union battle in Sweden makes any difference at least in global scale.

 

[Tony73]

No source on this, but if this X post is correct, apparently 16 Nordic funds are threatening to sell their @tsla position if Tesla does not sign a collective agreement with IF Metall.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1736691844753346862

Hope this does not become another “Go F yourselves” situation.