By TOM KRISHER, AP Auto Writer
DETROIT (AP) – The United Auto Workers union has filed an unfair labor practice lawsuit against Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk after the 2 on social media about Musk allegedly firing striking staff.
In documents filed Tuesday with the National Labor Relations Board, the union alleges that each men interfered with staff searching for to exercise their right to affix a union. The NLRB said it might review the allegations, which constitute a request for the agency to analyze.
UAW President Shawn Fain, whose union has approved Democrat Kamala Harris said in a press release that Trump was anti-worker.
“Both Trump and Musk want workers to sit down and shut up, and they openly laugh about it,” Fain said.
Brian Hughes, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, called the allegations “frivolous” and a “shameless political ploy” aimed toward undermining Trump's strong support amongst American staff.
The NLRB said it might investigate the complaints, certainly one of which is against the Trump campaign and the opposite involves Tesla Inc., the Austin, Texas-based electric vehicle, battery and solar panel maker led by Musk.
The allegations stem from statements Trump made on Monday evening during a conversation between the 2 men on X, the social media platform that Musk now owns. In the greater than two-hour discussion, the previous president focused mainly on his recent assassination attempt, illegal immigration and plans to scale back government regulations.
But during a discussion about government spending, Trump praised Musk for firing striking staff. The UAW claims this might intimidate staff from the Trump campaign or at Tesla who want to affix a union.
“You're the biggest cut-throat worker,” Trump told Musk. “I look at what you're doing. You come in and say, 'You want to quit?' I won't name the company, but they go on strike and you say, 'That's OK. They're all gone.'”
Musk said, “Yes,” and laughed as Trump spoke.
It was not clear which employees Trump was referring to.
In June, eight former employees of SpaceX, Musk’s rocket company, sued the corporate and Musk. They claim he ordered their firing after they spoke out against what they are saying is rampant sexual harassment and a hostile “Animal House”-style work environment at the corporate.
In addition, the NLRB found that in a 2018 Twitter post, Musk unlawfully threatened Tesla employees with the lack of stock options in the event that they decided to represented by a trade union.
Three judges on the fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans upheld that call, in addition to a related NLRB order that Tesla must rehire a fired worker while maintaining pay. But the complete fifth Circuit later overturned that call and voted to rehear the case.
Sanjukta Paul, a law professor on the University of Michigan, said the UAW's allegations were well founded because Trump and Musk's comments could “chill” staff' efforts to act collectively, similar to organizing a union or just making a joint effort to enhance working conditions.
“They describe with approval and wholeheartedly praise the blatant violation of our most important federal labor law,” she said. “That would be an infringement on protected rights.”
Marick Masters, an emeritus economics professor at Wayne State University who studies labor issues, said the UAW's move “puts the spotlight on Trump and tries to put him on the defensive in terms of his attitude and behavior toward unions.” He added that the union was monitoring Musk's comments since it has targeted Tesla's U.S. factories for union motion.
Originally published:
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