Tesla Unionization

[heltok]

Some Swedish government politicians are commenting. They are from SD which got the 20% of the votes, the anti immigration party who lean a bit social democratic on economic issues and are supported by a lot of the worker class but are in a coalition with the moderates/conservatives, because the left/social democrates/environmentalists hates them for being "racists":

SD-toppen rasar mot Tesla-strejken: ”Ett rent angrepp på Elon Musk”

Näringsutskottets ordförande Tobias Andersson (SD) går till hårt angrepp mot både facken och Socialdemokraterna för deras agerande i strejken mot Tesla.”Man gör allt man kan för att ge sig på Elon Musk”, säger han.

www.di.se

The conflict between the Swedish unions and the electric car manufacturer Tesla is becoming increasingly infected.

Earlier this week, Di reported that new Tesla cars can't get license plates because of the strike. Something that made the company's CEO Elon Musk go crazy. "This is crazy," he wrote in a comment on X (formerly Twitter). Tobias Andersson (SD), chairman of the business committee, is very critical of the actions of both the trade unions and the Social Democrats. "I think it is sad to see how from a political point of view, from the Social Democrats, they fuel and have the anti-growth policy that they have here. Where you do everything you can to go after Elon Musk. I think he is the one they are looking for, from the Social Democrats and the union, rather than Tesla or the actual rights of workers in the workplace. You want to go after Elon Musk," he says.

Why do you think Elon Musk wants to give up? "I am convinced that people see him as a rich capitalist, who also dares to say what he thinks and lets people do it on Twitter. That's why they go to his company establishments in Sweden", says Tobias Andersson.

Elon Musk describes the union's actions as "crazy". Do you agree with him? “There is, as far as I know, nothing to indicate that those who worked for Tesla have lived and worked there under slave-like conditions. Neither in the past nor in the future. And then you have to ask yourself the question: Why do you act in this way? And why do political parties choose to engage in this in their social media? I interpret that as a pure attack on Elon Musk. It has nothing to do with Tesla and it is absolutely not about caring about Tesla's employees," he says.

Should Tesla sign a collective agreement? “I think it's up to Tesla to do that. The important thing is that they ensure that they offer good conditions for their employees," says Tobias Andersson.

Party colleague Magnus Persson (SD), chairman of the labor market committee, believes that the parties must work harder to find a solution. “I expect the parties to resolve this and I find it very distressing that they have not managed to do so. Because here politics has actually given the parties a mandate to handle this. Then it is time for the parties to deliver. And if the parties can't deliver, then perhaps politics will have to start acting," he says. "We made that demand, for example, when we took the big las[law of employment, basically a first in last out, fire the new guys if you need to fire anyeone] agreement. Then the parties got the chance: Fix this – or the politicians act. This is a similar question,” he continues. Magnus Persson thinks that the employer side should get more involved. "I think they could be a little more active in this matter," he says.

 

[heltok]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1728100341374239136

I am not allowed to share the source, but I have seen a message where @Ifmetall employees threaten Tesla's staff that "you must strike or you will never work in a unionized workshop again. It is for your own good if you want a job in the future". This is sent on Messenger, SMS and Mail.

(he is an author of a book about finance)

 

[rlsd]

Union by country vs Population by country in Europe.

Trade Unions | Worker Participation

www.worker-participation.eu

Union percentage:

Country	Proportion of employees in union (%)
Finland	74%​
Sweden	70%​
Denmark	67%​
Cyprus	55%​
Norway	52%​
Belgium*	50%​
Malta	47%​
Luxembourg	41%​
Croatia	35%​
Italy*	35%​
Romania	35%​
Ireland	29%​
Austria*	28%​
UK	26%​
Greece*	25%​
Slovenia	22%​
Netherlands	20%​
Portugal*	19%​
Spain	19%​
Bulgaria*	18%​
Germany*	18%​
Czech Republic*	17%​
Slovakia*	13%​
Latvia	13%​
Hungary	12%​
Poland	12%​
Estonia	10%​
France	8%​
Lithuania	8%​
EU average	23%​
Average including Norway	24%​

 

[rlsd]

Population in Europe:

European Countries by Population (2023) - Worldometer

List of countries in Europe ranked by population, from the most populous. Growth rate, median age, fertility rate, area, density, population density, urbanization, urban population, share of world population.

www.worldometers.info

#	Country (or dependency)	Population (2023)	Yearly Change	Net Change	Density (P/Km²)	Land Area (Km²)	Migrants (net)	Fert. Rate	Med. Age	Urban Pop %	World Share
47	Holy See	518	1.57 %	8	1,295	0	0			N.A.	0.00 %
46	Gibraltar	32,688	0.12 %	39	3,269	10	-24	1.8	42	N.A.	0.00 %
45	San Marino	33,642	-0.05 %	-18	561	60	100	1.1	47	99 %	0.00 %
44	Monaco	36,297	-0.47 %	-172	24,360	1	200	2.1	54	N.A.	0.00 %
43	Liechtenstein	39,584	0.65 %	257	247	160	150	1.5	44	15 %	0.00 %
42	Faeroe Islands	53,270	0.34 %	180	38	1,396	0	2.7	38	41 %	0.00 %
41	Andorra	80,088	0.33 %	264	170	470	200	1.1	43	85 %	0.00 %
40	Isle of Man	84,710	0.23 %	191	149	570	340	1.6	46	55 %	0.00 %
39	Iceland	375,318	0.65 %	2,419	4	100,250	380	1.7	36	88 %	0.00 %
38	Malta	535,064	0.33 %	1,778	1,672	320	850	1.2	40	78 %	0.01 %
37	Luxembourg	654,768	1.11 %	7,169	253	2,590	4,883	1.4	39	88 %	0.01 %
36	Montenegro	626,485	-0.10 %	-597	47	13,450	-480	1.7	39	69 %	0.01 %
35	Estonia	1,322,765	-0.25 %	-3,297	31	42,390	-1,000	1.7	42	68 %	0.02 %
34	Latvia	1,830,211	-1.10 %	-20,440	29	62,200	-7,630	1.6	44	69 %	0.02 %
33	Slovenia	2,119,675	-0.01 %	-169	105	20,140	2,000	1.6	44	55 %	0.03 %
32	North Macedonia	2,085,679	-0.38 %	-7,920	83	25,220	-1,000	1.4	39	60 %	0.03 %
31	Lithuania	2,718,352	-1.15 %	-31,703	43	62,674	-13,128	1.6	44	71 %	0.03 %
30	Albania	2,832,439	-0.35 %	-9,882	103	27,400	-8,000	1.4	38	67 %	0.04 %
29	Moldova	3,435,931	4.98 %	162,935	105	32,850	-125,204	1.8	35	50 %	0.04 %
28	Bosnia and Herzegovina	3,210,847	-0.70 %	-22,679	63	51,000	-500	1.3	42	54 %	0.04 %
27	Croatia	4,008,617	-0.54 %	-21,741	72	55,960	-2,000	1.4	44	59 %	0.05 %
26	Ireland	5,056,935	0.67 %	33,826	73	68,890	9,999	1.8	38	64 %	0.06 %
25	Norway	5,474,360	0.74 %	40,041	15	365,268	27,998	1.5	40	86 %	0.07 %
24	Slovakia	5,795,199	2.69 %	151,746	121	48,088	-112,067	1.6	40	51 %	0.07 %
23	Finland	5,545,475	0.09 %	4,730	18	303,890	13,999	1.4	43	87 %	0.07 %
22	Denmark	5,910,913	0.49 %	28,652	139	42,430	19,999	1.7	41	88 %	0.07 %
21	Bulgaria	6,687,717	-1.39 %	-94,236	62	108,560	-4,800	1.6	45	78 %	0.08 %
20	Serbia	7,149,077	-1.00 %	-72,288	82	87,460	-9,999	1.5	43	69 %	0.09 %
19	Switzerland	8,796,669	0.64 %	56,197	223	39,516	39,998	1.5	42	75 %	0.11 %
18	Austria	8,958,960	0.22 %	19,343	109	82,409	19,999	1.5	43	59 %	0.11 %
17	Belarus	9,498,238	-0.39 %	-36,716	47	202,910	-4,282	1.5	41	80 %	0.12 %
16	Hungary	10,156,239	1.90 %	188,931	112	90,530	-156,677	1.6	42	68 %	0.13 %
15	Sweden	10,612,086	0.59 %	62,739	26	410,340	39,998	1.7	40	86 %	0.13 %
14	Portugal	10,247,605	-0.23 %	-23,260	112	91,590	9,999	1.4	46	67 %	0.13 %
13	Czech Republic (Czechia)	10,495,295	0.01 %	1,309	136	77,240	22,011	1.7	43	75 %	0.13 %
12	Greece	10,341,277	-0.42 %	-43,694	80	128,900	5,000	1.4	45	86 %	0.13 %
11	Belgium	11,686,140	0.26 %	30,210	386	30,280	23,999	1.6	41	99 %	0.15 %
10	Netherlands	17,618,299	0.31 %	54,285	522	33,720	29,998	1.6	42	92 %	0.22 %
9	Romania	19,892,812	1.19 %	233,545	86	230,170	-254,616	1.7	41	53 %	0.25 %
8	Poland	41,026,067	2.93 %	1,168,922	134	306,230	-910,475	1.5	40	55 %	0.51 %
7	Ukraine	36,744,634	-7.45 %	-2,957,105	63	579,320	1,784,718	1.3	45	82 %	0.46 %
6	Spain	47,519,628	-0.08 %	-39,002	95	498,800	39,998	1.3	45	80 %	0.59 %
5	Italy	58,870,762	-0.28 %	-166,712	200	294,140	58,496	1.3	48	72 %	0.73 %
4	France	64,756,584	0.20 %	129,956	118	547,557	67,761	1.8	42	84 %	0.80 %
3	United Kingdom	67,736,802	0.34 %	227,866	280	241,930	165,790	1.6	40	85 %	0.84 %
2	Germany	83,294,633	-0.09 %	-75,210	239	348,560	155,751	1.5	45	77 %	1.04 %
1	Russia	144,444,359	-0.19 %	-268,955	9	16,376,870	-136,414	1.5	39	75 %	1.80 %

 

[rlsd]

Unions concentrate highly in nordic countries. But the total population of the countries that have high union concentration is only 39 millions, less than the population of Poland. Will Tesla lose a lot if they move operations out of these countries? And how much economic loss these countries will suffer if Tesla and possibly some of other businesses move out?

 

[Artful Dodger]

Haha, no word yet on who is the supplier for the battery storage system that Hydro Extrusions Sweden is currently installing at their factory:

Hydro to Install Solar Power at Its Extrusion Factories in Sweden - Light Metal Age Magazine

Hydro to Install Solar Power at Its Extrusion Factories in Sweden - Light Metal Age Magazine

Hydro began the work to equip its Swedish extrusion factories in Vetlanda, Sjunnen, and Finspång with solar panels and battery storage. This work is part of the Greener Sweden project initiated in 2022. “It is amazing to see that Greener Sweden is moving from idea to action,” said Jonas Bjuhr...

www.lightmetalage.com

/SHORTSVILLE TIMES: (Updated Nov 24, 2023)​

"Tesla Model 3 Highland named best car you can't buy in Sweden."​

Tesla Giga Berlin supplier fears consequences of IF Metall Strike

Earlier this month, Swedish union IF Metall stated that it was looking to stop vehicle production at Tesla Giga Berlin.

www.teslarati.com

[Hydro Extrusions CEO Jonas] Bjuhr noted that if Tesla replaces the Giga Berlin-made Model Y’s parts with components from non-Swedish suppliers, there is no certainty that they will be returned when the strike is over. If this happens, there might be layoffs at Hydro Extrusions Vetlanda.

"Karma" is now a word in Sweetish.

 

[heltok]

Postnord refuses to deliver registration plates, arguing that the strike is a force majeure. But it is not:

Är en laglig arbetstagarstrejk befrielsegrund?

Is a labor strike grounds for exemption or not?

The answer to the question of a legal strike is Force majeure ie. a ground for exemption, seems to be answered with no by the EU Court.1)

Exemption clauses (force majeure) can be more or less extensive. In these pandemic times, there may be reasons that suggest that contracts should be provided with e.g. an exemption due to delivery delays due to the pandemic, etc. Strikes are usually part of release clauses. Now a decision has been made by the European Court of Justice (EUD on March 23, 2021 case C-28/20) which puts an end to something that many may have thought was obvious. The judgment is a "custom job", a preliminary decision, at the request of the Attunda district court. The question was about the obligation of an airline to pay compensation to passengers due to the cancellation of a flight because the pilots of the airline went on strike.

At the same time, however, the question was fundamentally about whether a legally organized strike constituted extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken. It must be emphasized that aviation is regulated by various regulations and conventions, yet the ruling appears to be generally valid for most contractual relationships, in any case where one or more parties are consumers. The EUD states, among other things, "This interpretation shall also apply when the employer, as in the present case, is an air carrier operating a flight."

The EUD emphasizes that if extraordinary circumstances occur, it is also up to the air carrier operating the flight to demonstrate that it has taken measures adapted to the situation and has used all available resources in terms of personnel and equipment as well as all available financial resources to avoid the affected flight is cancelled. However, the company cannot be required to make sacrifices that are unreasonable having regard to the company's capacity at the relevant time. EUD also emphasizes the protection interest, i.e. concern for the passengers as a weighty parameter in the context. Among other things Against this background, the EUD considers that the concept of "extraordinary circumstances" should be interpreted restrictively, something that I believe probably applies across the board to most agreements.

In the judgment, the EUD states its principled position - at least between traders and consumers - namely that "even if a strike expresses a conflict that has arisen between the employees and the employer, and aims to paralyze the employer's operations, it nevertheless constitutes one of the measures that the social partners are able to take in the context of contract negotiations.A strike must therefore be regarded as an event falling within the scope of the normal activities of the employer concerned, regardless of the particularities of the labor market concerned or of the national legislation through which this fundamental right is implemented ."

When an agreement is to be drawn up, the parties should consider, on the one hand, whether they want grounds for exemption to be included, and on the other hand, clarify to which situations the grounds for exemption are to be applied. The clearer the better and thus the greater the probability that a ground for exemption is considered reasonable and can be applied to the contractual relationship in question.

Limitation of liability: see https://zacharias.se/blogg/

Footnote

1 The European Court of Justice interprets EU legislation and ensures that it is applied in the same way in all EU countries.

 

[mars_or_bust]

EXcellent article on the issue - basically confirms what we have been saying here: the union is a corrupt, money laundering mafia-like extorsionist body.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1728342184775086122

 

[Just a Reader]

Walmart tried to run their stores in Germany as they did in the US and they folded very quickly. Doesn't mean that the same will happen to Tesla in Sweden, but perhaps you should do business in other countries as it's done there.
Apparently employees aren't all that happy at Tesla in Berlin either.
From an employee's perspective I fail to see what's attractive about working in the US. Working hours, annual leave, sick leave, health insurance - it all looks pretty unattractive.

 

[BioSehnsucht]

Walmart tried to run their stores in Germany as they did in the US and they folded very quickly. Doesn't mean that the same will happen to Tesla in Sweden, but perhaps you should do business in other countries as it's done there.
Apparently employees aren't all that happy at Tesla in Berlin either.
From an employee's perspective I fail to see what's attractive about working in the US. Working hours, annual leave, sick leave, health insurance - it all looks pretty unattractive.

Where are you getting that Tesla employees are unhappy?

 

[rlsd]

Walmart tried to run their stores in Germany as they did in the US and they folded very quickly. Doesn't mean that the same will happen to Tesla in Sweden, but perhaps you should do business in other countries as it's done there.
Apparently employees aren't all that happy at Tesla in Berlin either.
From an employee's perspective I fail to see what's attractive about working in the US. Working hours, annual leave, sick leave, health insurance - it all looks pretty unattractive.

Were people in East Germany happy before the Berlin Wall was torn down?

 

[SOULPEDL]

Where are you getting that Tesla employees are unhappy?

You know, some of those 20,000 employees that didn't get a job at Tesla after being laid off by VW.
(Justareeder said "employees are unhappy"- Tesla was only assumed.)

 

[SOULPEDL]

Walmart tried to run their stores in Germany as they did in the US and they folded very quickly. Doesn't mean that the same will happen to Tesla in Sweden, but perhaps you should do business in other countries as it's done there.
Apparently employees aren't all that happy at Tesla in Berlin either.
From an employee's perspective I fail to see what's attractive about working in the US. Working hours, annual leave, sick leave, health insurance - it all looks pretty unattractive.

Interesting info about Germany, thanks. I asked ChatGPT4 to summarize below.

It is similar in many ways, but I think it's different because of the Tesla Product and Mission - you can't get one anywhere else, only copycats at higher prices with inferior specs. The Mission is obvious. I'm sure there are German circles with long-term thinking for the country who are grateful for the jobs that Tesla provided, especially their employees... what a score! It must be like going to a school of geniuses and gets you pushing even harder.

There's always someone on the other side who is impacted by change in some way, but ya gotta think greater good here. Sweden is about to lose (or has already lost) Hydro's 50 employees. Somehow, the union in Sweden thinks this is the greater good, but for whom? In the future, who would dare enter their market with such hostage like tactics? My way or the Highway attitude. With the UAW fresh in people's minds (and the implosion that will likely follow as a result), know that Tesla will not back down.

Spoiler: Walmart in Germany Summary.

Walmart's unsuccessful venture into the German market from 1997 to 2006 was due to several key factors:

1. **Legal Restrictions on Price Undercutting**: Walmart's strategy of low pricing clashed with German laws prohibiting predatory pricing to protect small businesses. This prevented Walmart from using its usual approach to gain market share【12†source】.

2. **Clash with German Labor Laws and Trade Unions**: Walmart's labor model, which was anti-union and favored low wages without benefits, conflicted with Germany's strong labor laws and trade unions. This led to protests and damaged Walmart's reputation【13†source】.

3. **Underestimating Local Retailers**: Walmart underestimated the strength of smaller German discount grocers like Aldi and Lidl, which had strong brand loyalty and efficient operations. This miscalculation led to Walmart failing to attract German shoppers【14†source】.

4. **Mismatched Corporate Culture and Shopping Habits**: Walmart's American corporate culture and focus on ultra-low prices did not resonate with German cultural norms and shopping habits. Germans prioritized quality, brand loyalty, and local shopping experiences over the lowest prices【15†source】.

5. **Unfocused Retail Strategy**: Walmart's broad retail strategy in Germany lacked focus. Instead of concentrating on a specific segment, Walmart attempted to replace various local retailers with a single big-box chain, which did not appeal to German shoppers【16†source】.

6. **Refusal to Adapt to the German Market**: Walmart's reluctance to adapt its business model to accommodate significant differences in German regulations, labor laws, and shopping culture was a critical failure. The company made only minimal concessions when forced to do so【17†source】.

7. **Insufficient Market Research**: Walmart's strategy showed a lack of research into German retail and cultural norms. The company's assumptions of market domination, based on its scale and success in the US, proved misguided in the face of local German market realities【18†source】.

These factors, combined with the established and competitive nature of the German retail industry, contributed to Walmart's eventual withdrawal from the market after significant financial losses【10†source】【11†source】.

 

[SOULPEDL]

EXcellent article on the issue - basically confirms what we have been saying here: the union is a corrupt, money laundering mafia-like extorsionist body.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1728342184775086122

FYI... 2,000 Billion Swedish Kronor = 191.6 Billion US.

Hey, how much of this power struggle about this in Sweden, we can only wonder...

"The (total automotive) industry employs about 140,000 people, with Volvo being a major contributor in Västra Götaland county."

 

[Just a Reader]

Where are you getting that Tesla employees are unhappy?

That's quite easy, just follow the news. The reports are too consistent to consider them only the result of a journalist with a vendetta or just a couple of disgruntled employees. Tesla Grünheide quickly earned a reputation for having lower compensation packages than their unionised German competitors. To my knowledge they had to adjust pay already, in order to get sufficient numbers of employees.

Tesla-Mitarbeiter in Grünheide fordern bessere Arbeitsbedingungen

Krankenstände von rund 30 Prozent, gravierende Mängel beim Arbeitsschutz, hohe Arbeitsbelastung: Mehr als 1000 Tesla-Beschäftigte in Grünheide fordern bessere Arbeitsbedingungen.

www.tagesschau.de

 

[mars_or_bust]

Yes! Tesla is suing the Banana Republic of Sweden

Elbilsjätten Tesla stämmer svenska staten och Postnord för stoppade registreringsskyltar

Det amerikanska elbilsbolaget Tesla stämmer svenska staten genom Transportstyrelsen, avslöjar Dagens Industri. Skälet är att Tesla inte får tillgång till registreringsskyltar till nya bilar, som en följd av de pågående fackliga strejkerna för att förmå företaget att teckna kollektivavtal. Även...

www.svt.se

 

[SwedishAdvocate]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1728100341374239136

I am not allowed to share the source, but I have seen a message where @Ifmetall employees threaten Tesla's staff that "you must strike or you will never work in a unionized workshop again. It is for your own good if you want a job in the future". This is sent on Messenger, SMS and Mail.

(he is an author of a book about finance)

And how many workshops are owned by the union?...

I'll answer that one for you: 0

How is the union going to stop companies from hiring people?...

How surprising that he's not allowed to share the source... Could it be because there isn't one?...

EDIT: And this isn't the first time I've commented on stuff from that Twitter-account in this thread...

 

[Krugerrand]

Yes! Tesla is suing the Banana Republic of Sweden

Elbilsjätten Tesla stämmer svenska staten och Postnord för stoppade registreringsskyltar

Det amerikanska elbilsbolaget Tesla stämmer svenska staten genom Transportstyrelsen, avslöjar Dagens Industri. Skälet är att Tesla inte får tillgång till registreringsskyltar till nya bilar, som en följd av de pågående fackliga strejkerna för att förmå företaget att teckna kollektivavtal. Även...

www.svt.se

Let the real game begin.

 

[Krugerrand]

That's quite easy, just follow the news. The reports are too consistent to consider them only the result of a journalist with a vendetta or just a couple of disgruntled employees. Tesla Grünheide quickly earned a reputation for having lower compensation packages than their unionised German competitors. To my knowledge they had to adjust pay already, in order to get sufficient numbers of employees.

Tesla-Mitarbeiter in Grünheide fordern bessere Arbeitsbedingungen

Krankenstände von rund 30 Prozent, gravierende Mängel beim Arbeitsschutz, hohe Arbeitsbelastung: Mehr als 1000 Tesla-Beschäftigte in Grünheide fordern bessere Arbeitsbedingungen.

www.tagesschau.de

Follow the news, huh? It’s like you’re new to media. It’s like you don’t know they cut and paste and that’s how there’s consistency.

But let’s say for argument sake it’s all true; give us the EXACT number of disgruntled employees vs non-disgruntled.

I’ll wait…

 

[BioSehnsucht]

And how many workshops are owned by the union?...

I'll answer that one for you: 0

How is the union going to stop companies from hiring people?...

How surprising that he's not allowed to share the source... Could it be because there isn't one?...

EDIT: And this isn't the first time I've commented on stuff from that Twitter-account in this thread...

Actually, that's pretty easy, they just have to do the same thing to whatever shop hires the blacklisted personnel as they're doing to Tesla. Yes, they can't prevent hiring itself directly via their agreements... but they can leverage the existing agreements to punish and run out of business anyone who does hire someone who was blacklisted, then rinse and repeat until every business is too afraid to go against their mandate. Might not even have to do it more than once.

If they actually went down this path though, their mafia-esque techniques would become even more obvious, perhaps to the point that they would get shut down legally by lawsuits using whatever the local equivalent to RICO laws are (more specifically, extortion and racketeering related laws seem most relevant).