tesla The company is accused of taking steps to prevent employees from forming a union in Buffalo, New York, according to a complaint filed by the National Labor Relations Board.
The complaint was filed Tuesday by NLRB Buffalo Regional Director Linda Leslie. In it, she said that after the allegations were raised, Tesla “promulgated and maintained” an Acceptable Use of Workplace Technology Policy in 2023, which “encourages employees to form, join, and support labor unions.” or to prevent them from participating in other cooperative activities.” By members of Workers United.
CNBC obtained a copy of the complaint through a Freedom of Information Act request.
The policy restricted “recording and unauthorized solicitation” of Tesla employees. [sic] The complaint states that the charges include, among other things, “promotion” and “creation of channels and distribution lists.”
The NLRB also alleges that the policy had the effect of “preventing, restraining, and coercing employees from exercising the rights guaranteed to them” under the National Labor Relations Act. The law generally protects workers’ rights to organize, join unions, and bargain collectively. better wages and working conditions.
The Tesla Buffalo factory was originally intended to manufacture solar panels, but has recently been used to assemble electric vehicle charging equipment and as a home for a team of AI software data labelers.
Last month, a number of job cuts were made at the Buffalo plant as part of the electric vehicle company’s major restructuring.according to A warning notice has been filed Tesla will lay off 285 employees in New York state, mostly at its Buffalo factory. The company is cutting thousands of jobs around the world after EV sales fell in the first quarter.
Tesla and CEO Elon Musk have been at loggerheads with union advocates for years and have been implicated in union-busting efforts. In 2021, the NLRB determined that Tesla violated labor laws when Musk fired a union activist. wrote on Twitter 2018: “There’s nothing stopping Tesla teams at car factories from voting for a union. They could do so if they want. But why pay union dues and give up stock options for free? ?”
The administrative court ordered the CEO to be removed from his position. Tesla challenged the order, but its request for review was denied.Posting a problem Remaining Musk’s X account has 182.7 million followers.
Tesla is also facing labor rights issues in Europe. Last year, Swedish service technicians went on strike, which continues to this day, with labor organizations occasionally allowing some authorized work to be carried out. Employees in Sweden, where the majority of workplaces are unionized, are seeking a collective bargaining agreement with Tesla.
Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.
read the complaint here: