However, they have a fight ahead of them.
Tesla workers in New York have launched a union campaign, hoping to turn the company’s Buffalo plant into its first unionized workplace. This Valentine’s Day, it looks like Tesla workers are making the move to finally love each other.
As reported by Bloomberg News(Opens in a new tab), Tesla workers on Tuesday sent an email to Tesla CEO Elon Musk informing him of their intention to unionize. The organizing campaign was launched by Tesla Workers United(Opens in a new tab), a group of employees who work at the Tesla factory in Buffalo, in conjunction with Workers United Upstate New York. Workers United previously helped form the first Starbucks union in the United States(Opens in a new tab)which is also located in Buffalo.
“We believe that by having a union at Tesla, we will further the mission of sustainability and foster a progressive environment for all of us,” Tesla Workers United wrote in an open letter.
“Organizing will further accelerate the global transition to sustainable energy because it will give us a voice in our workplace and in the goals we set out to achieve. Having greater sustainability in our own professional lives and individual well-being will result in a greater ability to achieve these goals, which is why we strongly believe that sustainability starts with us. »
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Tesla Workers United hopes unionizing will help them advocate for better wages, job security and working conditions. But as a first step, they are currently asking Tesla to sign the Fair Election Principles. This would state that the company will not retaliate against workers for unionizing, obstruct or interfere with the election process, and allow time for the union to hold meetings and disseminate information.
Tesla had not publicly responded to Tesla Workers United’s request at the time of writing. Indigo Buzz has reached out to Tesla and Tesla Workers United for comment.
“As field staff, we know what makes this business work and what changes would help us improve both our work lives and the business,” Tesla Workers United wrote.(Opens in a new tab) “We will have the right to negotiate a union contract and have a real voice in setting organizational policies, staffing levels, labor rights, health and safety conditions, unfair dismissals or unfair discipline, seniority rights, vacation rights, benefits, wages, etc. »
These are all concerning issues, even at the best of times, but Tesla Workers United’s attempt to unionize seems particularly urgent. The organizing committee is made up of employees who label data to train Tesla’s Autopilot technology(Opens in a new tab) – a job that CEO Elon Musk has been keen to automate, calling this technology “the holy grail”. Last June, Tesla laid off more than 200 Autopilot employees.(Opens in a new tab).
Tesla Workers United is also working to organize manufacturing employees at the Buffalo plant, helping them benefit as well.
Unfortunately, Tesla and Musk(Opens in a new tab) are not big fans of unions. In 2019, a California judge ruled that Tesla violated state labor laws(Opens in a new tab) by hampering workers’ efforts to unionize at its Fremont plant. These included preventing employees from handing out leaflets or wearing pro-union badges, questioning workers who organized the union, and even retaliating unfairly by firing them.
The judge further found that Musk himself unlawfully engaged in unfair labor practices, particularly in his tweets implying that employees would have to give up their stock options if they unionized.
All in all, it’s fair to say that Tesla Workers United has a tough fight ahead.
UPDATE: February 17, 2023, 12:30 PM AEDT A day after declaring their intention to unionize, more than 30 Telsa workers at the company’s Buffalo plant were reportedly fired. Workers United filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, calling the firings “retaliatory for union activity” and calling for an injunction. “We are angry,” Tesla Workers United tweeted. “But that won’t slow us down or stop us. They want us to be scared, but they just started a stampede. These layoffs are the exact reason we need a @tesla union. We believe we can do it, but more importantly, we believe we WILL do it. »
