Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Tesla workers in Buffalo announced earlier this week their intentions to unionize in an email sent to CEO Elon Musk. However, just one day later, employees at the Buffalo plant said over 30 employees were fired for their want to unionize.
Tesla says the terminations were the result of poor ratings on performance reviews, claiming the list of employees being dismissed was finalized Feb. 3 before the company became aware of organizing activities Feb. 13.
However, workers at the plant speaking with WBEN say the timing of these firings appear a bit suspect with people starting to get fired after unionization efforts were announced.
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State Senator Tim Kennedy says he is disappointed at the allegations surrounding Tesla of firing the workers for trying to unionize.
"This is a union town, and that facility was built with taxpayer dollars," said Kennedy on Friday while in Buffalo. "Tesla needs to do the right thing, and if the workers are choosing to organize, Tesla is expected by our community and by the law to negotiate in good faith. So that's the expectation we have for Tesla. That's the message our community is sending."
Kennedy says the community will stand with the Tesla workers in their fight for fair wages, fair benefits, and as they work to organize.
"I've sent a letter to the National Labor Relations Board, asking them to expedite an analysis of what Tesla has done here in firing these workers," Kennedy said of his actions to support the fired Tesla workers. "We expect that the law will be followed by Tesla, we expect the workers will be able to fairly engage in a unionization effort, if that's what they so choose to do, and we'll be standing there with them."
Since Tesla began operations in Buffalo in 2017, Kennedy acknowledges the company has helped grow jobs in Western New York with nearly 2,000 jobs at the plant. However, if the workers at the plant would like to organize and form a union, he says it's their right to do so, and Tesla cannot stand in their way.
"There's nearly 2,000 workers there, we've heard that Tesla is going to continue to grow jobs at that plant. So the fact that the day after a unionization effort was announced that for nearly 40 workers were fired, that definitely raises red flags," Kennedy said. "That's why I sent a letter to the National Labor Relations Council to look at this in an expedited fashion. Hopefully, we'll get a ruling, and hopefully they'll rule in favor of the workers. We expect that, actually, to happen."
Kennedy adds the expectation is that Tesla will follow the law and negotiate in good faith with the workers if they choose to organize.
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