The United Auto Employees union has filed unfair labor apply costs in opposition to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk after the 2 mentioned on social media about Musk supposedly firing placing staff.
In paperwork filed Tuesday with the Nationwide Labor Relations Board, the union alleges that each males interfered with staff who might need to train their proper to affix a union. The NLRB mentioned it could look into the fees, that are a request for the company to research.
UAW President Shawn Fain, whose union has endorsed Democrat Kamala Harris, mentioned in a press release that Trump is anti-labor.
“Both Trump and Musk want working class people to sit down and shut up, and they laugh about it openly,” Fain mentioned.
Brian Hughes, a senior advisor with the Trump marketing campaign, known as the allegations “frivolous” and a “shameless political stunt” designed to erode Trump’s robust assist amongst American staff.
The NLRB mentioned it could examine the complaints, one filed in opposition to the Trump marketing campaign and the opposite naming Tesla Inc., the electrical car, battery and photo voltaic panel producer primarily based in Austin, Texas, and led by Musk.
The costs stem from statements made by Trump Monday night time throughout a dialog between the 2 males on X, the social media platform Musk now owns. The previous president spent a lot of the dialogue that lasted greater than two hours centered on his current assassination try, unlawful immigration and plans to chop authorities laws.
However throughout a dialogue about authorities spending, Trump praised Musk for firing staff who went on strike. The UAW contends this might intimidate staff for the Trump marketing campaign or at Tesla who would possibly need to be a part of a union.
“You’re the greatest cutter,” Trump instructed Musk. “I look at what you do. You walk in and say, ‘You want to quit?’ I won’t mention the name of the company but they go on strike and you say, ’That’s OK. You’re all gone.’”
Musk mentioned, “Yeah,” and laughed whereas Trump was speaking.
It wasn’t clear what workers Trump was referring to.
In June, eight former staff at SpaceX, Musk’s rocket firm, sued the corporate and Musk, alleging he ordered them fired after they challenged what they known as rampant sexual harassment and a hostile “Animal House”-style work setting on the firm.
As well as, the NLRB decided {that a} 2018 Twitter submit by Musk unlawfully threatened Tesla workers with the lack of inventory choices in the event that they determined to be represented by a union.
Three judges on the fifth U.S. Circuit Court docket of Appeals in New Orleans upheld that call, in addition to a associated NLRB order that Tesla rehire a fired worker, with again pay. However the full fifth Circuit later threw out that call and voted to listen to the matter once more.
Sanjukta Paul, a legislation professor on the College of Michigan, mentioned the UAW costs have actual substance as a result of the feedback from Trump and Musk may “chill” efforts by staff to behave collectively, together with union organizing, or simply getting collectively to enhance working circumstances.
“You’re approvingly describing, you’re wholeheartedly commending the blatant violation of our main federal labor statute,” she mentioned. “It would constitute interference with protected rights.”
Marick Masters, a enterprise professor emeritus at Wayne State College who follows labor points, mentioned the UAW’s transfer “puts the spotlight on Trump and attempts to put him on the defensive in terms of his attitude and demeanor toward unions.” He added that the union is watching Musk’s feedback as a result of it has focused Tesla’s U.S. factories for organizing drives.
