Tesla, the electric vehicle manufacturer founded by Elon Musk, has refuted reports that it fired staff members after they attempted to organise a union in New York State.
According to the business, 27 employees were let go for “poor performance” and “were discovered… well before the union campaign started.”
Staff members allegedly lost their jobs a day after the union made its intentions public, according to organisers in the city of Buffalo.
They claimed that Tesla fired over 30 employees in an effort to stifle the campaign.
The employees, who were members of a 675-person Autopilot labelling department, were laid off, according to a blog post by Tesla.
The company claimed that one of the 27 affected employees was “formally recognised as part of the union campaign” only after the fact.
Mr. Musk has previously been vocal about his hostility towards unions.
The union listed 18 workers it claimed were fired by the business “in punishment for union action and to prevent union activity” in the petition it filed with national labour authorities.
On the basis of a corporate chat, the organisers claimed that they thought more individuals had been sacked and that they anticipated adding names to the complaint. How many of those dismissed had actively participated in the campaign or had merely expressed support was still being determined, according to their statements.
Tesla Employees United organisers, who are supported by the same union that started organising attempts at Starbucks, claim that the Buffalo operation employs around 2,000 individuals.
To schedule a vote on unionisation, the group is currently lobbying Buffalo’s Tesla employees. The organisation received a letter from it on Tuesday describing its objectives and requesting that executives accept the ground conditions for a “fair” election.
A day later, according to the campaigners, Tesla dismissed over 30 employees and sent out an email reminding staff of a rule prohibiting the recording of business talks without everyone’s permission.
According to the organisers, both state and federal laws were broken by the rule.
Previously, the “National Labor Relations Board” determined that Tesla broke labour laws when it attempted to organise at its California auto plant.
“We’re enraged. We won’t be slowed down by this. We will not be deterred by this. They want us to be terrified, but I believe that they have just sparked a stampede. Organizing member of the committee and present Tesla employee Sara Costantino made the statement.”
