Tesla Responds After Firing Over 30 Employees In Buffalo, NY

Tesla fired over 30 employees last weekend just days after talks of unionizing.  They responded to the allegations that it was due to their efforts by calling them "false."

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It's been a very eventful couple of days at the Buffalo Tesla factory.  First, some employees made news by saying that they were working to unionize.  The second bit of news came less than 24 hours later after over 30 people were let go (or as they say 'exited') from the company.  Many of the employees claim that the firings happened "“in retaliation for union activity and to discourage union activity.”

The part that is in question is the timeline.

The workers who say they were working towards unionization say that shortly after they made the announcement, the firings began.  Tesla is saying that management was told about the possible firings long before the unionization talks began.

Tesla responded by saying that they conduct performance reviews every six months.  The reviews happen at all of their factories in North America, Europe, and China.  The performance reviews are not exclusive to Buffalo.  According to their statement, the review was based on performance from July to December.  They claim that managers were told about the possible firings and that they would begin the week of February 12th, 2023.  They claim that the people who were fired were fired as a result of this performance review cycle.

The impacted employees were identified on February 3, 2023, which was well before the union campaign was announced. We became aware of organizing activities approximately 10 days later.  - Statement made at Tesla.com

The Rochester, N.Y., branch of the Workers United union have asked the labor relations board to seek a court order reinstating the workers with back pay.