Tesla's Swedish labor dispute pits anti-union Musk against Scandinavian worker ideals
Tesla has found itself locked in an increasingly bitter dispute with union workers in Sweden and neighboring countries
Tesla has found itself locked in an increasingly bitter dispute with union workers in Sweden and neighboring countries. The showdown pits the electric car maker's CEO Elon Musk, who’s staunchly anti-union, against the strongly held labor ideals of Scandinavian countries.
None of Tesla's workers anywhere in the world are unionized, raising questions about whether strikes could spread to other parts of Europe where employees commonly have collective bargaining rights — notably in Germany, Tesla's most important market.
Here are key things to know about the union fight:
About 130 mechanics at 10 Tesla garages across Sweden walked off the job on Oct. 27 over the company's refusal to sign a collective bargaining agreement. Tesla doesn't have a factory in Sweden, but does have a network of service centers.
Since the mechanics with the powerful Swedish metalworkers’ union IF Metall went on strike, other workers around the country have joined in sympathy, withholding their services to pressure the company.
Members of the country's transport union say they'll stop collecting waste from Tesla service centers starting Sunday. Employees with supplier Hydro Extrusions, which makes aluminum profiles, are refusing to make a component for Tesla cars.
Other unions say their members won’t paint Tesla cars, clean the company’s offices or service electrical systems at its workshops or any of its 70 charging stations in Sweden.
Postal workers have stopped delivering license plates for new Tesla vehicles, prompting Tesla to sue the Swedish Transport Agency, demanding that it be allowed to retrieve the plates, and PostNord,
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