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United Auto Workers files labor lawsuits against Elon Musk & Donald Trump

The UAW filed its complaint over Musk and Trump over comments during their Twitter Spaces conversation about firing workers for going on strike.

TJ Denzer

August 13, 2024 1:10 PM

Image via X

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The United Auto Workers (UAW) union organization is bringing labor charges against Elon Musk and former president Donald Trump. Early this week, Musk invited Trump to join him in a Twitter Space for a live conversation in which the two discussed Trump’s intentions for his next presidency and the current state of the race. There, Trump praised Elon Musk’s history of firing workers who attempt to strike or organize at his companies. The UAW alleges that these comments were meant to intimidate workers and violate federal laws of the National Labor Relations Act in doing so.

The UAW posted of its charges against Elon Musk and Donald Trump on social media. While Trump and Musk’s conversation covered a rambling array of topics, including Trump anti-immigrant views and his belief that Russia wouldn’t have invaded Ukraine and Hamas wouldn’t have attacked Israel if he was president, it was a comment about Musk’s history with union organization and strikes that caught their ire.

Under federal law, workers cannot be fired for going on strike, and threatening to do so is illegal under the National Labor Relations Act.

— UAW (@UAW) August 13, 2024

“I mean, I look at what you do,” Trump said to Musk when speaking on workers’ rights. “You walk in, you say, ‘You want to quit?’ They go on strike - I won’t mention the name of the company - but they go on strike and you say, ‘That’s OK. You’re all gone.’ You’re all gone. So, every one of you is gone.”

The UAW claims that this comment and Musk’s lack of contention on the matter constitute threats and intimidation towards workers that would organize, unionize, or strike. It also claims that such actions are in violation of the National Labor Relations Act, which would put Musk and Trump at odds with federal law.

With these labor complaints issued, Musk has already responded with his usual dismissal of all things he doesn’t like. As we watch to see what comes next between the UAW, Trump, and Musk, stay tuned for further updates to this story.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.