Tesla CEO Elon Musk restated his opposition to unionization at Tesla facilities, stating that it would signify the company’s failure.
During The New York Times’ DealBook Summit on Wednesday, Mr. Musk expressed his belief that unions are unnecessary at his electric vehicle company.
“I disagree with unions because I don’t like anything which creates a lord and peasants sort of thing,” he remarked. “I think unions naturally try to create negativity at a company.”
He further stated that lower-ranked employees at Tesla can ascend to the highest positions in management and that all workers “eat at the same table. … We’ve made many people working the line, who didn’t even know what stocks were, millionaires.”
Mr. Musk’s anti-union stance has been well-documented. When formal discussions began in 2018, he mentioned that workers were welcome to start a union, but he cautioned them about the potential drawbacks.
“Nothing stopping Tesla team at our car plant from voting union,” he said on what was then called Twitter. “Could do so tmrw if they wanted. But why pay union dues & give up stock options for nothing? Our safety record is 2X better than when plant was UAW & everybody already gets healthcare.”
Tesla faces a union conflict in Sweden, where over 100 mechanics are on strike after the company refused to sign a collective bargaining agreement. Other prominent unions, including those representing postal and dock workers, have shown solidarity with the mechanics and have disrupted Tesla’s operations in the country.
In the U.S. this week, the United Auto Workers initiated a worker organization campaign at nonunion automakers. Over 100,000 workers from nonunion firms have signed union cards on the UAW’s website, indicating that Tesla workers could start demanding more.
