Workers have long fought for fair conditions in the workplace. Unions were created in order to use the power of numbers to advocate for better working conditions. Labor unions have successfully increased worker wages and safety in the past. A new California auto maker has recently been accused of employee rights violations because of alleged union-busting tactics.
The auto maker, new-age electric car producer Tesla, has come under fire when employees claimed that they were restrained from and threatened about forming an alliance with the United Auto Workers union. One employee claimed that he was physically restrained while attempting to pass out flyers on his own time at the plant. Another worker reported being told by a supervisor at a meeting that anyone attempting to pass out flyers would be fired.
The National Labor Relations Board heard from the employees and agreed that the tactics being used by Tesla were in violation of the employees’ rights to unionize. They have also called into question a restrictive nondiscolsure agreement that they says unfairly restricts the ability of the plants employees to form a union. The NLRB has filed a complaint against the car maker.
Tesla maintains that the UAW is actually unwelcome with its employees. The company has also promised certain employee benefits like free frozen yogurt and a roller coaster. Somes employee just want safer working conditions. The ability to form a union is one of many important employee rights. In California, if an employer violates a worker’s rights, the employee may wish to consult with a lawyer to see what legal options are available.
Source: kqed.org, “Federal Labor Board Claims Tesla Intimidated Workers Trying to Unionize“, Alyssa Jeong Perry, Sept. 6, 2017