NLRB documents reveal aggressive, flagrantly illegal union-busting by Tesla under @ElonMusk.
Tesla autoworkers are fired, interrogated, photographed, verbally harassed by security—all in violation of federal law, the NLRB found.
Threading newsworthy findings below (1/)
2. The NLRB investigated Tesla's firing of Richard Ortiz for trying to organize a union. The agency ruled the firing was illegal—but the probe uncovered much more.
For example, how Tesla deployed security to harass autoworkers if they passed out union pamphlets:
3. In the span of just 3 hours one morning, Tesla security guards harassed workers handing out fliers 6 separate times. Different guards each time.
One guard declared that “unions are worthless” and “no good” and people “should not join one.”
4. That morning, four guards each separately insisted on taking photos of the badges of workers passing out fliers.
Another guard took photos of the workers themselves.
Multiple guards illegally ordered the pro-union Tesla workers to leave the property.
5. It is a violation of federal law to block employees from "distributing union literature during their nonwork time in nonwork areas" of work locations.
Tesla violated the law repeatedly, with impunity, bullying workers to show ID even when their identity was known.
6. Later, Ortiz & other Tesla workers asked supervisors to turn over the company's injury & safety logs.
Per federal & state law, they were entitled to have these complete logs & to share them with coworkers.
Tesla redacted the safety documents and stamped them "CONFIDENTIAL."
7. Weeks later, workers started handing out fliers about Tesla’s dangerous working conditions. That same day, HR rep Liza Lipson pulled Ortiz into a meeting.
She claimed it was about his "performance." Actually, she wanted to know if he had shared the safety logs with anyone.
8. Hours later, Lipson interrogates Ortiz’s coworker about the fliers. He repeatedly says he won't answer her questions without a representative. She ignores him & keeps asking.
The NRLB said this was part of a pattern of illegal “coercive interrogations” by Tesla managers.
9. Neither Tesla nor @ElonMusk has faced a single penalty for these violations of the law (and these tweets show just a sample).
This is why it’s so critical to pass the #PROAct, which would implement strict penalties for employers & executives who violate workers’ rights.
We'll be featuring more former and current Tesla workers on camera very soon.
If you have information about Tesla, we'd love to hear from you: stories@perfectunion.us.
We will protect your identity.
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