The United Auto Workers (UAW) has filed federal labor charges against former President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, alleging they attempted to “intimidate and threaten” striking workers during a recent interview on X, CBS News reports.
The charges stem from a two-hour conversation between Trump and Musk on X last Monday, where the pair discussed Trump’s views on immigration and praised Musk’s labor practices. During the interview, Trump made remarks suggesting the firing of striking workers, a practice prohibited under the National Labor Relations Act.
“Both Trump and Musk want working class people to sit down and shut up, and they laugh about it openly… It’s disgusting, illegal and totally predictable from these two clowns,” UAW President Shawn Fain said in a statement.
Trump, in response to Musk’s pitch for a “government efficiency commission,” praised the Tesla CEO’s approach to labor disputes, saying, “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 okay. You’re all gone. You’re all gone. So every one of you is gone.'”
While Musk did not directly respond to Trump’s comments about striking workers, the UAW claims the exchange constitutes an illegal threat against striking workers.
The UAW’s complaint, filed with the National Labor Relations Board, targets Musk as a representative of Tesla, where he serves as CEO and is the largest individual shareholder. This comes as SpaceX, another Musk-led company, is currently engaged in a legal battle against the NLRB in a Texas appeals court.
The UAW, which has been attempting to organize Tesla employees, has also endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president and recently met with the Democratic presidential nominee in Michigan.
