NLRB Complaint: Tesla Illegally Terminated Employees for Union Activity

Former Tesla employees at the company’s Autopilot facility in Buffalo, New York, are claiming that the company fired them for participating in union organizing efforts. A complaint filed with the NLRB alleges retaliation by Elon Musk’s electric car company.

Bloomberg reports that employees at the Tesla Autopilot facility in Buffalo, New York, claim that the company fired them illegally as retaliation for engaging in union activity and to thwart further attempts to organize. Workers United, the union involved in the organizing effort, has filed a complaint with the US National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

Connecticut Tesla still burning (Stamford Fire Department)

According to the complaint, Tesla is allegedly retaliating against employees who have taken part in union-organizing efforts on a collective basis. Several of the fired workers had participated in labor negotiations, and one of them was part of an organizing committee. According to Workers United, the company is trying to intimidate workers into not exercising their right to unionize and engage in collective bargaining.

Workers United organizer Jaz Brisack told Bloomberg that Tesla engaged in “a form of collective retaliation… designed to terrify everyone about potential consequences of them organizing, as well as to attempt to cull the herd.”

The Tesla workers at the Autopilot facility primarily label data for the company’s Autopilot driver assistance software. The group is calling for increased pay, increased job security, and a less stressful work environment. They also asserted that Tesla shut down an internal chat room where employees could air complaints and implemented a keystroke monitor to determine how long they spend on tasks.

Tesla issued a directive to “protect the confidentiality, integrity, and security of all Tesla business information.” in response to the earlier report of the unionization attempt. One worker, however, claimed that rather than intimidating the workforce, the terminations had inspired it. “It’s pretty clear the message they’re sending,” said Sara Constatino. “And it’s really, I think, backfiring on them.”

If the NLRB determines that the claims have merit, it will investigate them and may bring legal action. Through its investigation, the board will find out if Tesla broke the law by employing unfair labor practices. If the board determines that Tesla used unfair labor practices, it may order the business to stop doing so, reinstate any workers who were wrongfully let go, and pay them back wages and benefits.

The NLRB’s investigation is merely the most recent development in a protracted conflict between Tesla and employees who want to organize. Workers at the Tesla factory in Fremont, California, voiced complaints about unsafe working conditions, long hours, and low pay in 2018. Workers alleged that the company did not provide adequate safety training or protective equipment and that they were under intense pressure to meet production targets. Tesla responded by stating that it had improved working conditions and was committed to treating its staff fairly.

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