August 13th 2024.
The United Auto Workers, a union representing autoworkers, has filed federal labor charges against former president Donald Trump and businessman Elon Musk. The charges stem from a conversation that took place on Musk's social media platform, X, on Monday evening. The union claims that during their talk, both Trump and Musk engaged in behavior that is considered unfair labor practices and is against the law.
According to the union's allegations, Trump and Musk threatened and intimidated workers who were engaging in protected labor activities, such as going on strike. In a rambling interview, Trump told Musk that he admires how he handles strikes by saying, "You want to quit? They go on strike. I won't mention the name of the company, but they go on strike, and you say, 'That's okay. You're all gone. You're all gone. So, every one of you is gone.'" These comments, along with others made by both Trump and Musk, have led to the charges against them.
The charges were filed against Musk in his role as the chief executive and largest shareholder of Tesla, an electric vehicle company where the union has been trying to organize workers. The UAW recently endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris and its members met with her last week in Michigan. The conversation between Trump and Musk on X was highly publicized, with over 1 million users tuning in.
In a statement, UAW President Shawn Fain expressed his disgust with the behavior of both Trump and Musk, saying, "When we say Trump stands against everything our union stands for, this is what we mean. Both Trump and Musk want working-class people to sit down and shut up, and they laugh about it openly. It's disgusting, illegal, and totally predictable from these two clowns."
Musk responded to the charges on X, claiming that the last two UAW presidents went to prison for bribery and corruption and insinuating that Fain may join them. However, this statement is not entirely accurate, as two former UAW chiefs did serve time in prison after corruption convictions, but not the two presidents who preceded Fain.
As of now, Musk has not commented on the charges via Tesla or X. However, under the National Labor Relations Act, it is illegal to fire workers for legally going on strike or to threaten them for doing so. The National Labor Relations Board will now investigate the allegations and determine if a labor law violation occurred. If they find that violations did occur, penalties could be issued against Musk or Trump.
The Washington Post reached out to Trump's campaign for comment but did not receive an immediate response. As the investigation unfolds, it remains to be seen how these charges will affect both Trump and Musk and the ongoing efforts to organize workers at Tesla.
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