CNN
—
The United Auto Employees union on Tuesday filed federal labor prices towards former President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk for threatening to intimidate staff who go on strike.
Throughout Trump’s interview on X Monday evening with Musk, who can also be the principal proprietor of the social media platform, the pair mentioned a possible function for Musk in Trump’s administration ought to he get reelected. Trump referred to as Musk “the cutter,” and praised Musk for his anti-union stances.
“I take a look at what you do, you stroll in and also you simply say, ‘You wish to give up?’ They go on strike – I received’t point out the title of the corporate – however they go on strike, and also you say, ‘That’s okay, you’re all gone. You’re all gone. Each certainly one of you is gone,” Trump said.
Musk may very well be heard laughing and replying “yeah.”
The UAW, which not too long ago endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president, filed separate prices towards Trump and Musk Monday to the Nationwide Labor Relations Board.
The costs declare the previous president and the Tesla CEO had “interfered with, restrained or coerced staff” who had been exercising their proper to arrange towards the corporate, “suggesting he would hearth staff engaged in protected concerted exercise, together with hanging.”
UAW president Shawn Fain, a harsh Trump critic, has beforehand referred to as Trump a “scab.” He praised President Joe Biden for becoming a member of a picket line final yr when the UAW struck Common Motors, Ford and Stellantis . And Fain has repeatedly singled out Tesla, the biggest non-union American automaker, as a goal for the union’s organizing efforts.
“After we say Donald Trump is a scab, that is what we imply,” Fain mentioned in a press release. “Each Trump and Musk need working class individuals to sit down down and shut up, and so they chuckle about it overtly. It’s disgusting, unlawful, and completely predictable from these two clowns.”
The UAW president continued to blast the lads in an interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins Tuesday evening.
““They thumb their nostril at labor legislation and there has obtained to come back a reckoning on this nation the place the billionaires and the company class and employers are held accountable once they break the legislation,” Fain mentioned on “The Supply.”
The Trump marketing campaign referred to as the UAW prices a political orchestration by “Democrat particular curiosity bosses.”
“This frivolous lawsuit is a shameless political stunt supposed to erode President Trump’s overwhelming assist amongst America’s staff,” mentioned Trump marketing campaign Senior Advisor Brian Hughes in a press release. “President Trump strengthened our economic system and delivered outcomes on behalf of the forgotten women and men of America, and he’ll do it once more when he’s re-elected on November 5.”
The NLRB acknowledged receipt of the costs however didn’t present additional remark. Tesla didn’t reply to CNN’s request for remark.
It’s unlikely Musk or Trump would face important penalties in the event that they’re discovered to have violated labor legal guidelines, and any motion might take a very long time to resolve. First, the NLRB will examine the UAW’s prices. If it believes Trump and Musk are within the unsuitable, the NLRB might try to assist settle the case – however it might additionally sue Trump and Musk on behalf of the UAW. Even then, if a decide finds Trump and Musk violated the legislation, they might usually order Trump and Musk to cease their habits and make any staff that had been wrongfully terminated complete.
However it’s not clear that Trump was referencing any particular staff Musk fired for organizing towards his firm. Employees have tried to arrange at Tesla a number of occasions. However Musk and Tesla’s aggressive ways and outspoken opposition to unionization – along with Tesla’s technique of granting manufacturing unit staff inventory choices – has saved unionizing efforts at bay.
This isn’t Musk’s first run-in with the NLRB. Earlier this yr, the board accused Tesla of illegally limiting know-how within the office to dissuade staff in a Buffalo, New York, issue from organizing.
Harris’ marketing campaign circulated the clip of Trump and Musk, saying: “Trump praises billionaire Elon Musk for firing staff who had been hanging for higher pay and dealing circumstances.”
CNN’s Kristen Holmes and Tori B. Powell contributed to this report.