Tesla Workers in Buffalo Seek to Unionize
A group of Tesla workers at a plant in Buffalo, New York, have launched a campaign to unionize in pursuit of higher wages, better benefits, and more dignified treatment. The organization, dubbed Tesla Workers United, seeks to become the first of its kind at Tesla, which is the only automaker in the US without a union.
"We are Tesla workers seeking a voice on the job by forming a union, Tesla Workers United," reads a statement(Opens in a new window) published today. "We believe that by having a union at Tesla, we will further the mission of sustainability and foster a progressive environment for us all. We strongly believe that sustainability starts with us."
The Buffalo site is the hub of Tesla's energy business, which is growing at twice the rate of its vehicles business, CEO Elon Musk said on last month's earnings call. Tesla has been making solar cells, solar panels, and Powerwall products there since 2017, according to the website(Opens in a new window). In 2019, it expanded to include Supercharger electrical components. The site has created 800 jobs to date, with plans to get up to 5,000 in the next 10 years.
One of the employees' biggest concerns is Tesla's granular monitoring of their time spent on tasks, down to specific keystrokes, which workers say disincentivizes bathroom breaks that would count against them. "People are tired of being treated like robots," Al Celli, a member of the union organizing committee, tells(Opens in a new window) Bloomberg.
Employees also say Tesla pays them less than national averages, with limited sick time. There are currently dozens of job openings at the site for production associates, supervisors, HR partners, and more. Positions as overnight production associates(Opens in a new
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