UAW sues Donald Trump and Elon Musk, accusing them of pushing to fire striking workers
(FOX 2) - The United Auto Workers Union has filed complaints against Donald Trump and Elon Musk, alleging the two advocated for firing striking workers.
The former President and the owner of X held a conversation on Musk's social media platform Monday night, where they touched on several subjects from immigration to Ukraine.
At one point, Trump and Musk were talking about workers who go on strike for better wages. Trump said if workers "go on strike, and you say ‘that’s okay, you're all gone. You're all gone.' So everyone is gone."
Under federal law, a company can not fire its employees if they are on strike.
The Unfair Labor Practices charges were filed with the National Labor Relations Board, the UAW said Tuesday, just hours after the discussion. More than a million people tuned into the session.
"When we say Donald Trump is a scab, this is what we mean. When we say Trump stands against everything our union stands for, this is what we mean," said UAW President Shawn Fain in a news release.
Musk himself has been outspoken against unions, criticizing them for creating inequality among employees.
Tesla, which is also owned by Musk, is the only auto manufacturer in the U.S. whose workers are not unionized. While multiple efforts to unionize employees at the company have been made, none have been successful.
However, the company has been sued for implementing company policies that prevent workers from unionizing.
In filing a complaint with Musk and Trump, UAW leadership is escalating its criticism of both men. President Fain has pubically criticized both in recent appearances, including at a Democratic rally attended by Kamala Harris and Tim Walz last week.
"Really what Donald Trump was saying is that he's willing to confront the union bosses," said Lena Epstein, the Republican finance co-chair for the Trump campaign in Michigan. "I think as it comes to Mr. Fain, I believe that Donald Trump would be coming for him and his position. He’s very unhappy and disappointed with Fain’s performance."
Epstein also stated that Fain calling Trump a scab is "really inappropriate."
WWJ Auto Analyst Jeff Gilbert says it's unlikely the UAW charges are going to go anywhere, since Trump doesn’t own an auto company. But Musk does, and it’s not unionized.
"On one hand, (the union is) supporting Kamala Harris, so it's a chance to take a shot at Donald Trump," Gilbert said. "On another hand, they're trying to unionize a bunch of non-union factories, including Tesla factories, so they can take a shot at Elon Musk."
Nevertheless, if the national labor relations board decides to investigate and finds violations, it could impose penalties.
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