WASHINGTON — The United Auto Workers has filed federal labor charges against Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, the union said Tuesday.
The complaints come after the two men had a two-hour-long conversation marred by technical difficulties the previous night on X, Musk’s social media platform formerly known as Twitter. The union specifically cited comments from Trump during an exchange about government efficiency and spending of taxpayer dollars.
“You’re the greatest cutter,” Trump said Monday, referencing Musk’s history of eliminating staff across his businesses. “I mean, I look at what you do. You walk in, you just say, 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 OK. You’re all gone. You’re all gone. So every one of you is gone.”
The union noted in its statement that federal law prohibits workers from being fired for going on strike and that threatening to do so is illegal under the National Labor Relations Act.
“The UAW has filed federal labor charges against disgraced billionaires Donald Trump and Elon Musk for their illegal attempts to threaten and intimidate workers who stand up for themselves by engaging in protected concerted activity, such as strikes,” the union said in a statement issued by spokesperson Jonah Furman.