The United Auto Workers (UAW) has filed federal labour charges against former U.S. President Donald Trump and tech magnate Elon Musk, accusing them of unlawfully threatening workers who engage in protected concerted activities, including strikes.
The charges stem from a conversation between Trump and Musk, which took place on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, during a live broadcast on Monday evening. The discussion, which reached an audience of over one million listeners, included remarks from both figures that appeared to advocate for the illegal dismissal of striking workers.
“I mean, I look at what you do,” Trump said to Musk during the conversation. “You walk in, you say, You want to quit? They go on strike, 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. So, every one of you is gone.”
According to the UAW, these comments violate the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), which protects workers from being fired for participating in strikes. The union argues that such threats are not only illegal but also reflect a broader disregard for workers’ rights by both Trump and Musk.
“When we say Donald Trump is a scab, this is what we mean. When we say Trump stands against everything our union stands for, this is what we mean,” UAW President Shawn Fain stated in response to the incident. “Donald Trump will always side against workers standing up for themselves, and he will always side with billionaires like Elon Musk, who is contributing $45 million a month to a Super PAC to get him elected. Both Trump and Musk want working class people to sit down and shut up, and they laugh about it openly. It’s disgusting, illegal, and totally predictable from these two clowns.”
Under U.S. federal law, employers are prohibited from retaliating against workers for engaging in collective actions such as strikes, and any attempt to do so is considered a violation of workers’ rights. The union’s filing seeks to hold Trump and Musk accountable for their remarks and to reaffirm the legal protections afforded to workers under the NLRA.
The charges now await review by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which will determine whether the comments made by Trump and Musk constitute a violation of federal labour laws.
