Tesla—Tesla fired 30+ Buffalo Gigafactory workers one day after they announced union drive
In February 2023, more than 30 employees at Tesla's Buffalo Gigafactory were fired one day after workers publicly announced their intent to unionize with Workers United. Workers alleged the firings were in retaliation for union activity. The NLRB later dismissed the retaliatory firing charge but found merit in charges regarding workplace surveillance and captive audience meetings. In April 2024, the NLRB filed a complaint alleging Tesla unlawfully implemented policies to prevent unionizing at the Buffalo plant.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tech Worker Organizing | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Worker Rights | -against | secondary | -0.50 |
| Overall incident score = | -0.725 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (high ×1.5) × confidence (0.64)
Evidence (2 signals)
NLRB filed complaint alleging Tesla unlawfully implemented anti-union policies at Buffalo plant
In April 2024, the NLRB regional director in Buffalo filed a formal complaint alleging that Tesla had unlawfully implemented company policies to prevent workers at its Buffalo plant from unionizing, including restricting workplace organizing through corporate IT acceptable use policies.
Tesla fired over 30 Buffalo workers the day after union drive announcement
In February 2023, more than 30 Tesla employees at the Buffalo Gigafactory were terminated one day after workers publicly announced their intent to unionize with Workers United. Workers alleged the mass firing was retaliatory. The NLRB later found merit in charges regarding surveillance and captive audience meetings.