UAW Charges Musk and Trump Over Labor Practices

The United Auto Workers (UAW) union has filed federal labor charges against Tesla CEO Elon Musk and former US President Donald Trump.

This follows a recent conversation the pair had on X, during which they touched on labor practices in a manner the UAW deemed threatening to workers’ rights.

During the conversation which attracted over a million listeners, Trump said: “You’re the greatest cutter” praising Musk’s approach to cutting costs and handling striking employees. “I mean, I look at what you do. You walk in, you just say: ‘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,” Trump added. 

The above remarks didn’t sit well with the UAW president Shawn Fain who took to X to condemn the remarks, implying that Musk’s strategy involved firing employees who engage in strikes.

“When we say Donald Trump is a scab, this is what we mean.” Fain wrote on X, accusing both Trump and Musk of not caring about labor law and working-class people.

The union’s charges, filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), allege that Trump and Musk violated federal labor laws by threatening to intimidate workers exercising their right to organize and engage in protected collective actions, including strikes. 

In a statement to ABC News, Brian Hughes, senior advisor for the Trump campaign, labeled the UAW’s charges as a shameless political stunt aimed at eroding the support President Trump enjoys among America’s working class. Hughes further maintained that President Trump helped to build the US economy and delivered results on behalf of America’s labor bodies during his time as President and will do that again when re-elected in the November general elections.

Before this suit, the UAW officially endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for the presidency on July 31, making the Labor Union’s stance known as the 2024 presidential election nears.