Tesla (TSLA) workers in New York state have moved to form a union, creating a new labour challenge for company Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Elon Musk.
In a letter to Musk, a group of employees announced their intention to join the Workers United Upstate New York union.
If successful, the union would be the first at electric vehicle maker Tesla, which until now has avoided the unionization of its U.S.-based workforce.
Most major automakers, including General Motors (GM) and Ford Motor Co. (F), have multiple labour unions that they negotiate collective agreements with every three to four years.
In the past, Musk has publicly criticized unions and even tweeted in 2018 that any employees involved with a union drive would lose their Tesla stock options.
In the letter, employees asked Tesla to respect their right to organize a union and called on the automaker to improve wages and working conditions, and to lessen the monitoring of employees while at work.
The employee letter also states that organizing a union is a civil right and calls on Tesla not to retaliate against workers who get involved with the union drive.
Tesla’s stock price has decreased 33% over the last 12 months to trade at $194.64 U.S. per share.
