New York Tesla Workers Launch Unionizing Campaign, Would Be Car Company's First

Tesla workers at a factory in Buffalo, New York, said Tuesday that they are launching a campaign to form the company's first union, Bloomberg News reported.

Unlike many other major U.S. automakers, Tesla has managed to avoid unionization at its U.S. facilities. That held until Tuesday when workers submitted their intent to unionize with the help of Workers United, which has been behind widespread organized labor efforts among Starbucks employees.

Workers at Tesla's Buffalo "Gigafactory" hope to reach an agreement that results in increased job security, better wages, a say in workplace decision-making, and a reduction in monitoring and production pressures, according to Bloomberg News.

Workers told Bloomberg News that Tesla uses computer and keyboard monitoring to track and time their tasks, leaving some to feel forced to skip bathroom breaks.

In a letter to management Tuesday, the workers wrote that unionizing would "further accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy, because it will give us a voice in our workplace and in the goals we set for ourselves to accomplish."

The letter also urged the company to sign the Fair Election Principles, which would prevent Tesla from retaliating against workers for organizing a union, Reuters noted.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has taken a hard line against organized labor in the past, previously being ordered by the National Labor Relations Board to delete a 2018 tweet in which he unlawfully threatened workers with loss of stock options if they chose to be represented by the United Auto Workers union.

"Nothing stopping Tesla team at our car plant from voting union," wrote Musk in 2018. "Could do so [tomorrow] if they wanted. But why pay union dues and give up stock options for nothing? Our safety record is 2X better than when plant was UAW & everybody already gets healthcare."

According to Bloomberg, both past unionization efforts by Tesla workers — in 2017 and 2018 — failed to come together.

On Tuesday, employees at the Buffalo plant planned to distribute Valentine's Day-themed leaflets with links to a website where employees could sign union cards.

An employee at the plant, Sara Costantino, told Bloomberg News they don't really have a voice within the company. "The voice we did have, they took away," Costantino said.

According to Tesla's website, the Buffalo plant makes solar panels and components for charging equipment and has about 800 workers who help develop driver-assistance software for cars.

Organized labor movements have exploded throughout the U.S. in recent years, with workers from companies spanning from Microsoft to Home Depot holding votes.