A group of Tesla workers in New York is trying to form a union in what would be a first for Elon Musk’s electric car company.
They have sent the company a letter outlining the plans and urging leaders to agree to basic rules for “fair” union elections.
Mr Musk, who has opposed organizing efforts at his company in the past, has not publicly responded to the effort.
According to the organizers, around 2,000 people work at the Buffalo plant.
The campaign is supported by Workers United, the union that helped spark the recent surge in unionization at Starbucks.
“We are organizing a union with Workers United Upstate New York that seeks to be as innovative as the company we work for and create an even more collaborative environment that will strengthen the company,” Buffalo workers said in a press release.
Activists say the organizing committee is made up of some of the roughly 800 Buffalo-based analysts who work on Tesla’s autopilot systems.
They hope to join forces with others at the facility, including call center workers and people who make solar panels and batteries.
Workers are said to have worked quietly on it for months and are collecting signatures in support of a union election.
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To be eligible to vote, they must demonstrate the support of at least 30% of workers for a vote. If this succeeds, Tesla is obliged to negotiate with the employees about payment and conditions.
There has been an uptick in unionization in the US in recent years, with Apple, Starbucks and Amazon among the big companies facing campaigns.
However, successful efforts remain rare.
Tesla has fended off other campaigns — though his methods have drawn fire from labor officials.
In 2021, the National Labor Relations Board upheld an earlier ruling that Tesla illegally fired a California worker in retaliation for his unionization efforts. Officials also ordered Mr Musk to delete a tweet in which he implied that joining a union would mean forgoing stock options.
Mr Musk said last year a tight job market near Tesla’s California manufacturing facility means his company pays and treats its workers well.
“I hereby invite the UAW to hold a union vote if they wish,” he added. “Tesla will do nothing to stop them.”
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