The United Auto Workers has filed separate federal labor charges against Donald Trump and Elon Musk after comments the two made during their predictably disastrous interview on X, on Monday night. In a statement, the UAW described the two as trying to “threaten and intimidate workers who stand up for themselves by engaging in protected concerted activity, such as strikes.”
The UAW, who has already endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, pointed to one section of the Trump/Musk megalomaniac event, where Trump complimented Musk on his business practices.
“I mean, I look at what you do. 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.”
It is against the law to fire workers simply for participating in protected labor-organizing activities, which include strikes. It is equally against the law to threaten workers with loss of work for engaging in any of these protected activities.
Unions by and large have consolidated behind the Democratic ticket. The AFL-CIO, which represents 60 unions and 12.5 million workers, unanimously endorsed Harris in July. The National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers—the two largest teachers unions in the United States—have also endorsed Harris; their endorsements were likely strengthened by Trump’s boast to Musk that he would “close up the Department of Education” if he were to become president.
Trump and Musk’s histories of bad labor practices are legendary but not unique amongst billionaire businessmen, and it is the reason that the list of unions supporting Harris and Sen. Tim Walz over Trump and his billionaire class also include:
The Teamsters union remains the one major holdout, especially after President Sean O’Brien’s highly criticized appearance at the Republican National Convention. The union has yet to endorse a candidate for president and its membership will be voting on the matter.
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