WATCH: Elon Musk Explains Why He Is Opposed To Unions At Tesla
"If Tesla gets unionized, it will be because we deserve it and we failed in some way."
With the United Auto Workers’ (UAW) announcement on Wednesday that it is seeking to unionize all non-union car manufacturers, during an interview with Andrew Ross Sorkin of the New York TImes, Tesla CEO Elon Musk was asked his opinion on unionization at Tesla.
Here is his response:
Naturally, union advocates mocked Musk’s comments by calling out his reference to “lords and peasants,” with one social media account calling the richest man in the world a “dumbass.”
Earlier this week, a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) regional director dismissed union claims that Tesla had unlawfully terminated dozens of employees as a result of a union campaign in its Buffalo, New York plant.
Those claims were made by Workers United, the SEIU affiliate responsible for unionizing hundreds of Starbucks locations around the country over the last two years.
“I think when the general counsel’s office digs into the case then they’ll see that it’s a clear pattern of retaliation against a unionizing group of workers and clearly a violation of labor law,” stated Jaz Brisack, the organizing director of Workers United’s New York chapter, who was also one of the union “salts” who helped start the campaign against Starbucks in response to the NLRB’s dismissal.
“I’m confident that the Tesla workers will finally see the justice that they deserve, and we as a union will have their backs the entire way,” Brisack said.