Fremont, Calif.—The United Auto Workers filed a complaint against Tesla with the National Labor
Relations Board Oct. 25, accusing the company of firing union supporters at its Fremont, California factory. “I worked hard for this company for five years, sometimes 72 hours a week—and never had any performance-related complaints,” worker Mike Williams said in a statement Oct. 26. “I did, however, wear a union shirt. And I had union stickers on my water bottle.” The electric-car manufacturer, which fired more than 400 of the plant’s 10,000 workers in October, claimed the terminations came after performance reviews and that “no one at Tesla has ever or will ever have any action taken against them based on their feelings on unionization.” “I’ve worked in auto manufacturing my whole life,” said Richard Ortiz, who was axed for talking to reporters about working conditions in the factory. “I do not believe—not for a second—that I was fired for cause.” The NLRB will hold a hearing on a previous UAW complaint against Tesla Nov. 14. Read more
