A day after they announced plans to organize a Tesla facility in Buffalo, workers claimed in a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board that Tesla fired at least 18 workers, including many leaders of a unionization effort.
Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk, has been outspoken in his antipathy to unions, and the business is known for taking aggressive measures against union activists.
The National Labor Relations Board determined in 2021 that Mr. Musk had improperly intimidated workers with the loss of stock options if they unionized and that Tesla had illegally fired a worker who was involved in organizing at the company’s Fremont, California, auto production.
“I strongly feel this is in retaliation to the committee announcement and it’s shameful,” Arian Berek, a member of the Buffalo organizing committee, said in a statement.
Ms. Berek claimed that she was let go after rejoining the workforce following a case of Covid-19 and a bereavement leave.
In a “charge against employer” dated Wednesday, the Rochester branch of the Workers United union informed the labor relations board that it was requesting an injunction to stop the terminations, which it deemed to be illegal.
Tesla “terminated these individuals in retaliation for union activity and to discourage union activity,” the filing said.
Bloomberg News first reported on the firings.
According to Tesla’s website, the Buffalo factory employs roughly 800 people who contribute to the development of driver-assistance software in addition to producing solar panels and parts for charging equipment.
The firings are expected to sour Tesla’s relationship with President Biden, who on Wednesday commended the business for its decision to let owners of rival electric vehicles to use a piece of its charging network.
The action appeared to mark an improvement in the bond between Mr. Biden and Mr. Musk, who had previously voiced his displeasure about the administration’s alleged neglect of Tesla while pursuing electric vehicle subsidies.
But Mr. Biden has also positioned himself as a fervent supporter of unions, and he has criticized businesses for engaging in what he views as anti-union practices. A request for comment on the Tesla firings was not immediately answered by a White House spokesman.
