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Tesla Faces Allegations of Union-Busting After Firing Buffalo Plant Employees · Elon Musk Podcast

• 0:00
  Welcome back to the Elon Musk podcast in this episode.
• 0:03
  We'll be discussing the recent controversy surrounding Tesla's
• 0:06
  firing of at least 18 employees, including several liters of
• 0:10
  Ewing in ization campaign workers have alleged that the
• 0:13
  company use Hardball tactics against Union organizers, and
• 0:17
  retaliated. Against those involved, in the
• 0:19
  unionization effort, while Tesla denies, the allegations.
• 0:23
  This is not the first time that the company has faced criticism
• 0:26
  over its anti-union stance, on February 17, 2012, 23 Tesla,
• 0:31
  fired 18, employees, including key leaders of unionization
• 0:34
  campaign just a day after they announced plans to organize a
• 0:37
  Tesla plant in Buffalo, New York.
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  According to workers, who filed a complaint with the National
• 0:42
  Labor Relations Board. And this move which the workers
• 0:45
  United Union has called unlawful follows a pattern of Hardball
• 0:50
  tactics employed by Tesla against Union organizers, the
• 0:53
  firing of the employees at the Buffalo Plan has put the
• 0:56
  spotlight back on the long-standing tension between
• 0:58
  Tesla and labor unions. Elon Musk.
• 1:01
  The CEO of Tesla has been vocal about his opposition to unions
• 1:05
  and the company has been accused of illegally.
• 1:07
  Firing a worker involved in organizing and it's car plant in
• 1:11
  Factory California as well as threatening workers with a loss
• 1:15
  of stock options. If they unionized and the
• 1:17
  workers United Union branch in Rochester, New York filed, a
• 1:20
  charge against employer with the nlrb on Wednesday, seeking an
• 1:25
  injunction to block the firings, which it claims were done in
• 1:28
  retaliation for Union. Activity and to discourage
• 1:31
  further Union activity at the company in response to the
• 1:34
  allegations. Tesla has said that the layoffs
• 1:37
  were part of a routine performance review cycle.
• 1:40
  And that it is false, that it fired employees in response to a
• 1:43
  new Union campaign. However, the workers who were
• 1:46
  laid off or arguing that the timing of the layoffs is, no
• 1:49
  coincidence, Aryan Barak, who is a member of the Buffalo
• 1:52
  organizing committee, who is one of the employees.
• 1:54
  Fired said I strongly feel this is in retaliation to the
• 1:58
  committee announcement and it's She was let go after returning
• 2:01
  to work following, a bout with covid-19 and bereavement, leave
• 2:05
  Barracks claims are supported by the workers United Union, which
• 2:08
  is Accused Tesla of terminating these individuals in
• 2:11
  retaliation, for Union activity, and to discourage Union
• 2:15
  activity, the Buffalo Factory also known as gigafactory to
• 2:19
  makes solar panels and components for charging
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  equipment and has about 800 workers who helped develop
• 2:24
  driver. Assisted software the workers
• 2:27
  who were fired were part of Tesla's autopilot Pilot labeling
• 2:30
  team which accounts for about four percent of the factories
• 2:33
  Workforce in a statement by Tesla.
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  They claim that it identified the impacted employees 10 days
• 2:39
  before the utilization plans were announced.
• 2:41
  And then it only learned in hindsight that one of the 27
• 2:45
  employees identified was part of this Union Tesla also emphasized
• 2:49
  that it conducts performance review Cycles every six months.
• 2:53
  And that employees who fail to meet performance, expectations
• 2:56
  are let go the company denied allegations that employees are
• 3:00
  To delay, bathroom breaks as previously, reported by
• 3:03
  Bloomberg, the Tesla Workers United, the group of workers
• 3:07
  attempting to unionize and buffalo has not responded to our
• 3:11
  request for comments. On this issue in the company is
• 3:13
  widely reported to have disbanded sits.
• 3:15
  Press relations team in 2020. Making it difficult to get an
• 3:19
  official statement from Tesla on this matter.
• 3:22
  This latest controversy comes as Tesla faces mounting pressure
• 3:26
  from regulators and critics over issues such as its copilot
• 3:30
  system and working conditions at as factories.
• 3:33
  Tesla's autopilot system has been criticized for being a
• 3:36
  potential safety hazard in the company, has faced numerous
• 3:39
  lawsuits over accidents involving this technology.
• 3:43
  Now, in addition, Tesla has been accused of poor working
• 3:45
  conditions at its factories as well with workers alleging that
• 3:48
  they are overworked and underpaid, despite these
• 3:51
  challenges Tesla remains a hugely popular and influential
• 3:55
  company in the world of EVs and its founder and CEO Elon Musk
• 3:59
  has One of the most well-known and controversial figures in the
• 4:02
  tech industry as the company continues to expand and
• 4:05
  innovate. It remains to be seen whether it
• 4:07
  will be able to maintain its position.
• 4:09
  As a leader in the EV Market will also addressing the
• 4:12
  concerns of its workers. And The Regulators next we'll be
• 4:15
  diving into the world of EV batteries in the mining
• 4:18
  industry. This applies, the materials
• 4:20
  necessary for their production with Tesla, reportedly exploring
• 4:24
  a takeover of Sigma lithium Corporation, a canada-based
• 4:28
  battery, Metals, minor. The electric vehicle, giant is
• 4:31
  making bold moves towards securing its own supply chain in
• 4:35
  this episode. And we'll explore the
• 4:38
  implications of this potential acquisition and the larger
• 4:41
  Trends shaping, the EV Industries push towards greater
• 4:45
  sustainability. But before we get into that,
• 4:47
  could you take a second and hit the Subscribe button on whatever
• 4:50
  podcast platform that you're on right now?
• 4:52
  I really helps a show out and helps me continue doing these
• 4:55
  episodes every single day of the week.
• 4:57
  Thank you so much shares of Sigma lithium Corp.
• 5:01
  A canada-based battery Metals, minor Rose 21% in extended
• 5:05
  trading on Friday after bloom. News reported that Tesla Inc was
• 5:09
  considering a takeover bid. The report cited people with
• 5:12
  knowledge of the matter. We said that Tesla has been in
• 5:15
  talks with potential advisors about the bid and that Sigma
• 5:18
  lithium is among the mining options.
• 5:20
  Electric vehicle makers, exploring neither Tesla nor
• 5:23
  Sigma lithium immediately responded to requests for
• 5:26
  comments. However, the news comes as no
• 5:28
  surprise as Tesla's chief executive officer, Elon Musk had
• 5:32
  said last year that the company was open to buying a mining
• 5:35
  company to speed up worldwide. Ian of clean energy Tech.
• 5:39
  Now Sigma lithium is finishing construction of a hard rock,
• 5:42
  lithium mined in Brazil that is expected to open by April.
• 5:45
  In the mine, will produce Spud amine concentrate, which is used
• 5:49
  to make lithium hydroxide, a type of a metal preferred by
• 5:52
  some automakers including Tesla and a BMW and the project will
• 5:56
  use hydroelectric power helping to, significantly reduce its
• 6:00
  carbon footprint. Now, sigma's market
• 6:03
  capitalization is currently a 3.2 1 billion dollars in its US
• 6:07
  Stock Nearly tripled in value last year.
• 6:09
  It is among a number of mining companies that Tesla and other
• 6:13
  automakers routinely talk to about potential supplies of
• 6:16
  lithium and other EV Metals, without necessarily signing
• 6:20
  contracts. Now, Tesla signed a deal with
• 6:22
  Piedmont lithium to supply Spud. I mean, concentrate from Quebec
• 6:26
  starting later this year in the company also has Supply
• 6:30
  contracts, for nickel, lithium, and other EV metals from
• 6:34
  suppliers around the world. However, Tesla's Interest in
• 6:37
  Sigma lithium could have significant implications for the
• 6:40
  mining industry particularly in Brazil.
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  The country is the world's largest producer of niobium and
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  has a significant amount of reserves of other EV Metals
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  including lithium, the Brazilian government has identified the
• 6:52
  mining industry as a key driver of economic growth.
• 6:56
  But concerns have been raised about the environmental impact
• 6:59
  of mining activities lately in recent years.
• 7:02
  There's been a growing demand for Ev Metals particularly as
• 7:05
  governments around the world are Setting targets to phase out
• 7:08
  gasoline-powered cars. However, there are concerns
• 7:11
  about the sustainability of the supply chain for these Metals,
• 7:14
  particularly given the environmental and social impact
• 7:18
  of mining activities. Companies, such as Tesla had
• 7:21
  been working to address, these concerns by investing in
• 7:24
  sustainable mining practices and seeking out suppliers.
• 7:27
  They can demonstrate responsible sourcing.
• 7:29
  However, the industry as a whole still faces significant
• 7:33
  challenges particularly around transparency and traceability.
• 7:37
  Leti. Now, Tesla's interest in Sigma,
• 7:39
  lithium is likely to raise questions, about the company's
• 7:42
  own sustainability practices, particularly given the
• 7:45
  environmental and social impact of lithium mining.
• 7:48
  However it could also signal a broader shifting an industry as
• 7:52
  companies seek to take greater control over their own Supply
• 7:55
  chains and invest in sustainable mining practices.
• 7:58
  And as demand for EVS continue to grow the role of the mining
• 8:02
  industry in the transition, to a low-carbon economy is likely to
• 8:06
  become Increasingly important, the challenge for companies such
• 8:10
  as Tesla will be to balance the need for sustainable Supply
• 8:14
  chains with a need to secure access to the metals that are
• 8:17
  essential for the production of Evie's.
• 8:20
  Thank you so much for listening to the show today.
• 8:22
  I appreciate your support, know if you can take a second, hit
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  the Subscribe button. Would help us even more over
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  here, Steve, 0 Studios. So thanks again and I will see
• 8:30
  you in the next one. If you'd like to help out the
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  show even more, we have a patreon patreon.com slash age
• 8:37
  zero. Thanks again.