Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - The National Labor Relations Board has interviewed more than a dozen of the Tesla Buffalo workers who were fired last week as part of a complaint the terminations were a direct result of an effort to form a union at the expansive Buffalo facility.
"Six field agents did 14 affidavits in one day," said Jaz Brisack with Workers United Upstate New York. The affidavits were conducted Friday, only days after the terminations, said Brisack. "This really shows the level of seriousness."
A group of Tesla workers in Buffalo sent an email on Valentine's Day to Tesla CEO Elon Musk announcing their intent to form a union and word spread Wednesday and Thursday that about 40 workers were being terminated from the facility.
The Tesla Workers United group Saturday described the terminations as 'shoulder taps' where workers were taken one at a time to a supervisor where they were terminated and seen walking out with a box of their belongings.
Tesla quickly contradicted workers claims and said the terminations were performance based and determined before the union effort was made known.
"The firings did not scare Tesla workers," said Sara Costantino. "It actually inspired people to start getting more involved."
The union effort continues to grow, the workers say, and more and more workers are signing union cards stating they want an election to be held.
Job security is the main issue raised by most of the workers, along with better pay and working conditions. Presently, Tesla Buffalo workers are at-will, the group said. "The stress of knowing you could be fired at any time is scary," said Lizzie McKimmie.
The workers leading the union effort are mainly in the autopilot department of the Tesla Buffalo operation and spend most of their day labeling data via computer for the company's self-driving function.
Musk has taken a hard line against organized labor, despite an invitation to the United Auto Workers union to hold an organizing vote at Tesla's factory in Fremont, California. In 2021 Tesla was ordered by the National Labor Relations Board to make Musk delete a 2018 tweet in which it said that he unlawfully threatened employees with loss of stock options if they chose to be represented by the UAW.
The Buffalo workers Saturday told WBEN they are in line with the company's goals and have no personal issue with Musk.
