A US court of appeals has ruled that Tesla CEO Elon Musk violated federal labour law with a tweet in 2018 that threatened employees’ stock options if they joined a union.
The court upheld the decision of the US National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which said the 2018 tweet made by Musk constituted an illegal threat that could deter workers from unionizing. (via The Guardian)
The NLRB ordered Musk to delete the tweet, which read, “Nothing stopping Tesla team at our car plant from voting union … But why pay union dues & give up stock options for nothing?”
Although Tesla contended that Musk’s tweet regarding unionization was not a threat, as it only pointed out that union employees at other auto companies do not receive stock options, a three-judge panel disagreed.
They stated, “The NLRB’s conclusion that the tweet is an implied threat to end stock options as retaliation for unionization is supported by substantial evidence.”
