UAW Files Federal Labor Charges Against Donald Trump and Elon Musk, Alleging They Tried to ‘Threaten and Intimidate Workers’

The United Auto Workers union, which represents immoderate 400,000 workers successful the automobile, aerospace, and agriculture industries, connected Tuesday said that it filed national labour charges against Donald Trump and Elon Musk. The charges travel what the UAW describes arsenic “attempts to endanger and intimidate workers” that arose during a conversation betwixt Trump and Musk, hosted on X Spaces Monday evening, successful which Trump appeared to praise X proprietor Musk for firing workers who strike.

“Well, you're the top cutter,” Trump told Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX. “I mean, I look astatine what you do. You locomotion successful and you conscionable say, ‘You privation to quit?’ They spell connected strike. I won't notation the sanction of the company, but they spell connected onslaught and you say, "That's okay. You're each gone. You're each gone.'” Musk did not respond specifically to Trump’s statements, but laughed arsenic the erstwhile president spoke, and said helium would “be blessed to assistance out” connected a authorities ratio commission.

US workers—both unionized and non-unionized—cannot beryllium fired for engaging successful protected strikes, according to the National Labor Relations Board. In his comments, Trump “stated a presumption which is simply a usurpation of law, level and simple,” says William B. Gould IV, a prof astatine Stanford Law School and erstwhile president of the NLRB. Trump could beryllium seen arsenic acting arsenic an cause for Musk’s companies, Gould says, and his words could perchance interfere with votes to unionize astatine companies.

The NLRB volition request to analyse the claims and past determine however to determination guardant if it feels the charges person merit.

“When we accidental Donald Trump is simply a scab, this is what we mean. When we accidental Trump stands against everything our national stands for, this is what we mean,” UAW President Shawn Fain said successful a statement. “Both Trump and Musk privation moving people radical to beryllium down and unopen up, and they laughter astir it openly. It’s disgusting, illegal, and wholly predictable from these 2 clowns.”

The UAW has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president, and antecedently called Trump “a scab and a lapdog for the billionaires.” The national did not supply a transcript of the charges it filed Tuesday erstwhile requested by WIRED; they were not yet docketed connected the NLRB website arsenic of property time.

Musk’s companies person a blighted grounds erstwhile it comes to workers’ rights. Trump did not sanction the Musk institution helium was referring to, but Musk is CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, and the Boring Company. Musk has said successful the past that unionization astatine Tesla would effect successful a loss of banal options, and helium slashed unit astatine X (then Twitter) erstwhile helium bought it, yet adjacent canceling services from janitors who went connected strike. Meanwhile, SpaceX is presently sparring with the NLRB successful court.

The UAW antecedently tried to unionize Tesla workers, but fell short. The national is trying still to bash so. Tesla and SpaceX did not respond to requests for comment. Trump’s run did not respond to a petition for remark either.

Shortly aft the UAW announced the charge, Musk posted to X: “The past 2 UAW presidents went to situation for bribery & corruption and, based connected caller news, it looks similar this feline volition articulation them!” (Two erstwhile UAW presidents were sentenced to situation time successful a ample corruption probe, but they were not the 2 astir caller national presidents.)