UAW Files Labor Charges Against Trump, Musk After Monday Interview

United Auto Workers members hold picket signs near a General Motors assembly plant in Delta Township, Mich., on Sept. 29, 2023. Paul Sancya/AP Photo

The United Auto Workers (UAW) filed federal labor charges against former President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, CEO of the social media platform X, claiming the two men attempted to intimidate and threaten workers.

The union announced that it filed the charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in a press release on Aug. 13.

In an Aug. 12 conversation on Spaces, an audio-only broadcasting feature on Musk’s X, the former president and Musk spoke for roughly two hours covering topics including the economy and energy prices.

In the conversation, while discussing their view of wasteful spending by the government, Musk told Trump that he would gladly be involved in a “government efficiency commission” should the former president be reelected later this year.

Trump then spoke about some of Musk’s actions as CEO in relation to joining the hypothetical commission, though he did not specifically mention which of Musk’s companies he was referring to.

“I‘d love it. Well, you, you’re the greatest cutter. I mean, I look at what you do. You walk in. You want to quit? I won’t mention the name of the company, but they go on strike and you say, ’That’s OK. You’re all gone. You’re all gone.'”

Musk is also the CEO of electric car maker Tesla and spaceflight company SpaceX.

The UAW said the comments related to unions amounted to the two men advocating “for the illegal firing of striking workers.”

“Under federal law, workers cannot be fired for going on strike, and threatening to do so is illegal under the National Labor Relations Act,” UAW said in its statement.

Musk had previously faced a lawsuit filed by former employees of Twitter, now known as X, who were laid off when he bought and took over the company. A judge ruled in Musk’s favor.

The NLRB states on its website that “under federal law, you cannot be fired for participating in a protected strike or picketing against your employer.”

The agency adds that there are limitations and qualifications related to the right to strike.

“Most strikes are protected, but certain kinds of strikes are not protected, depending on the object or purpose of the strike, on its timing, or on the conduct of the strikers. You can be lawfully fired for participating in an unprotected strike,” the agency states.

The UAW officially endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president on July 31, and Harris appeared alongside UAW President Shawn Fain at an event in Michigan last week to rally support among the union.

Neither X nor Trump’s campaign responded to a request for comment before publication.