A Unionized Tesla Workforce Could Benefit All Parties

[Jow]

part of my attraction to Tesla is they’re non-union

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[ajdelange]

I am confused. First you post the pro-union article and then you post a non-union statement. Make up your mind.

Perhaps you have not noticed but this member is always out there looking for Tesla/BEV news that might be of interest to us and posting it here for our convenience. Whether or not he agrees or disagrees with what the articles contain is immaterial.

I, for one, think it's about time to say "Thank you".

So here it is "Thank you".

 

[Bill906]

You wouldn't want a 'disgruntled' passenger jerking the wheel of your car at a critical moment while you (or the car's FSD) is driving would you?

IF I (or FSD) was going in the wrong direction, or if going into oncoming traffic, yes, yes I would.

Think about it, if the UAW was really beneficial, wouldn't they have helped to steer ICE car manufacturers in a more healthy direction starting much earlier, instead of the dive course they are on now

Management decides what direction the company goes in. Union is about labor relations. You are blaming poor management decisions on the union?



Listening to all the anti-union arguments is as frustrating as listening to all the arguments that BEV's are dangerous because they catch on fire. "I heard Unions allow their members to get drunk on their lunch breaks. That is dangerous and that proves all unions are bad", creates the same frustration as "A model S on autopilot crashed and killed two people. We know this because there was no one in the drivers seat. Therefore FSD is dangerous and all EV's will catch on fire and kill you"

Corporations who support and work with one side of the isle are constantly trying to paint unions as bad. Unions are not inherently bad. They are typically good for workers and even good for companies. But anytime one instance of a union being bad happens it's pulled into the spotlight by the anti-union corporations and politicians. Just like every Tesla accident is headline news.

I ask that if you find youself pushing anti-union arguments with opinions based on little to no facts, ask yourself if you are doing the same thing the anti-EV people are doing?

 

[CostcoSamples]

Collective bargaining is a nice idea but when government gets involved to protect unions it all goes to crap. I sincerely hope Tesla doesn't join the UAW ever.

 

[ajdelange]

I think part of the problem for unions is that memories of union abuses are much fresher in the minds of most Americans than memories of robber barons.

 

[Frank W]

It’s also very easy to recall multiple times in past years where UAW and corruption went hand in hand. Twice in my life I belonged to a union and the last time it was a running joke that your dues only bought you a yearly hot dog and chips that were actually purchased at Costco and we all know that they only cost $1.50. Oh and before you got it you had to sign the sheet which who knows what that was actually used for. Union’s also have clout when it comes to where parts are derived from because they also want to support the other unions as a form of solidarity. The shop stewards quite often are the same people who historically want to get out of doing their own work any time they can. I do realize that a union can be beneficial but not always.

 

[Challeco]

The Union that sued Tesla 'for threatening loss of stock options' actively discourages stock options as compensation. The labor board doesn't seem to consider talking about actual facts to be context.

Which is the problem with how we have Unions today. They exclude too many workers, and some of their contract requirements probably shouldn't be allowed.

We need more Unions, not less - just like we need healthcare not tied to your work, we need HR not tied to your employer.

But we also need Unions that don't protect rulebreakers, don't interfere or put quotas on certifications and training, don't require overtime, and don't exclude newer workers in favor of older ones.

-Crissa

Thank you. I support unions, but this post bothered me for many of the reasons you clarified. I think stock is a good idea for the employees to have access to, but not in lieu of cash compensation. It seems that currently Tesla has an attractive compensation package, but to leave control over compensation entirely at the whim of the corporation has bad outcomes historically.

 

[ÆCIII]

Management decides what direction the company goes in. Union is about labor relations. You are blaming poor management decisions on the union?

A unionized workforce is effectively a unionized company, which inherently leverages conditions and restraints on management, so yes I do at least partially blame the UAW for the current direction of ICE auto manufacturers.

With the below factors being obvious, this thread is obviously external (likely union) agenda driven:

1) Tesla is in a steep period of early growth, with inherent high demand for work hours and tedious levels of exceptional quality a necessity. Still Tesla has nearly as high Glassdoor.com ratings as Ford or GM, with major cons/complaints being related to long work hours and work/life balance. However these are complaints not unique to Tesla at all, yet Tesla actually has reasons and growth progress to actually justify the request of more hours from employees during intense project phases. Many people accept the responsibility and stress of being part of something big with a growing future, and that's why many of them knew what they were signing up for when working for Tesla. But you also have those few that are hyper-sensitive over-complainers which are actually ruining the receptiveness of management for employees who may have more real and tangible concerns.

2) Tesla is selling all the cars they can make, even while being able to apportion a substantial amount of capital for R&D, factories, and innovation to maintain future competitive leadership, and thus has no time or need to second guess their very successful business model or external entanglements. Employees working at Tesla even with temporary demands of longer hours for projects, obviously know they have boundless potential for a strong future - because Tesla is operating in a healthy manner and always aiming for a stronger future for the whole company and all its employees.

3) Tesla employees should decide whether they want a union or not; its not up to external organizations or social media forums. Even Elon has tweeted in the past, that Tesla employees could vote to unionize any time they wanted. However Tesla is already providing competitive benefits and a work environment for employees that make the need for unions much less relevant, or else Tesla employees would have already voted to unionize by now.

I like some of Crissa's statements concerning unions, as in a lot of situations there needs to be improvements or a 'better way' implemented.

ICE car manufacturers and the UAW are starting to wake up and are getting scared of Tesla, because of what Tesla's process model for success is proving and establishing as possible. This threatens ICE car companies and unions because it proves that an alternative process without them, can be both viable and thriving. So in the past months we've seen many 'attack-vectors' from all sides (UAW/Whitehouse snub, NHTSA token investigations, media pundit hit pieces, and more) all trying to come out against Tesla, albeit they're also lamely transparent and obvious. I think those trying to insert or stand up a Tesla workforce union at this point in time, could be attempting to just execute another distraction or attack vector, or as a minimum want to establish an external 'emplacement' within Tesla to leverage external control or someone's future 'bidding'.

ICE car company execs and stakeholders are obviously really scared currently, but I don't think this behavior they're attempting right now is going to age well at all. Actually, I think this behavior is just more revealing of how corrupt and scared they are, and could ultimately turn off more customers, investors, and employees away from them.

If unions could be totally non-political I might be more receptive to possible benefits they might offer. Right now, I think Tesla is doing just fine without them.

-ÆCIII

 

[Dirt Worker]

The author of this article is either nucking futz or enjoys certain benefits. As a retired union worker I have no love lost. A union worker only has to show up on time and do the bare minimum to keep their job. A mantra I have heard many times is "Who cares, I get paid by the hour. I'm protected". Job performance is not part of most union pay structures. Teachers Unions have nearly bankrupted many states with bloated pension plans and now have cash to burn on lobbyists who push for more all while quality levels drop exponentially. I will take my CT Gas free, paint free, leather free and union free please. Oh, and an extra dose of quality on the side please and thank you.

 

[CybertruckAgent]

Dirty pool......it's what unions do. But hey, it's ok because it's for "the workers", right?

This. Elon would be wise to avoid the Mafia’esq tactics of the UAW.

I can see them closing down Fremont all together before capitulating based on his prior positions, that may be the plan anyway once Giga Texas is up and running. Tennessee would love that innovation and technology coming here! We’ve already got Nissan North America HQ, Mitsubishi’s North American HQ, VW’s largest manufacturing facility, etc.

There is still a UAW presence, but it’s voluntary and they hold no sway over our political leadership.

 

[Crissa]

Teachers Unions have nearly bankrupted many states...

There is no state in the Union in which teachers are paid commensurate to their education requirements.

So this statement is both off topic and untrue.

I can see them closing down Fremont all together before capitulating...

This is illegal and again, not related to the topic. How is it different than a child's argument that they weren't allowed to win a game of soccor so they took the ball and went to a different field?

You ever notice that arguments against Unions require these cherry-picking gish-gallops that never recognize Corporate malfeasance?

-Crissa

 

[Dirt Worker]

There is no state in the Union in which teachers are paid commensurate to their education requirements.

So this statement is both off topic and untrue.


This is illegal and again, not related to the topic. How is it different than a child's argument that they weren't allowed to win a game of soccor so they took the ball and went to a different field?

You ever notice that arguments against Unions require these cherry-picking gish-gallops that never recognize Corporate malfeasance?

-Crissa

The topic is Unionizing Tesla. I'm not sure why you bring up commensurate compensation but if you research union pensions bankrupting states it displays how things get out of hand. I happen to like cherries but I don't know if I would consider myself a gish or gallop. Buffoon maybe. Somedays a whirling dervish.

 

[Ogre]

Where are all these wealthy teachers bankrupting states? I certainly don't know any.

My mom, my dad, and my brother are all teachers and they get/ got paid jack shit. I'd love to know what state a teacher could go and get paid well in.

 

[Crissa]

The topic is Unionizing Tesla. I'm not sure why you bring up commensurate compensation but if you research ...

Yes, I also don't know why you brought up this flatly untrue thing.

Unions do not create pension problems - bad financial management on the part of employers does. The Union didn't choose how the pensions were funded or promised.

A pension is a loan - the worker loaned some of their compensation now for payment later. How is it their fault that the employer took advantage of the loan but now wants to skip out on paying it?

The what where?

-Crissa

 

[ZARDOZ]

Where are all these wealthy teachers bankrupting states? I certainly don't know any.

My mom, my dad, and my brother are all teachers and they get/ got paid jack shit. I'd love to know what state a teacher could go and get paid well in.

NYC at least. Public sector unions are a bane on existence. They donate to the person they are then negotiating with. Is there a large city in the country that has a good school system?

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