>The United Auto Workers filed federal labor charges against Donald Trump and Elon Musk for their comments applauding the practice of firing employees who threaten to strike. >Under federal law, it is illegal to fire workers who threaten to strike. >Trump has been vying for the labor vote in the presidential race against Vice President Kamala Harris, though the UAW has already endorsed the vice president.https://www.cnbc.com/2024/08/13/musk-trump-uaw-labor-union-x-interview.htmlThe United Auto Workers union on Tuesday filed federal labor charges with the National Labor Relations Board against former President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk for publicly applauding the practice of firing employees who threaten to strike.
“I look at what you do,” Trump said to Musk during a two-hour interview Monday night on X, the social media platform Musk owns.
“You walk in, you say, ‘You want to quit?’ They go on strike,” Trump said to Musk, who also is CEO of the EV car maker Tesla and of SpaceX.
“I won’t mention the name of the company, but they go on strike and you say, ‘That’s okay, you’re all gone. You’re all gone. So, every one of you is gone,’” Trump said.
Trump was referring to the 2022 gutting of Twitter staff after Musk took over the social media business and renamed it X.
It is illegal to fire workers who threaten to strike, because the right to strike is protected under federal labor law.
“When we say Donald Trump is a scab, this is what we mean,” UAW President Shawn Fain said in a statement Tuesday on the new charges. “When we say Trump stands against everything our union stands for, this is what we mean.”
Neither the Trump campaign nor Musk replied to CNBC’s request for comment on the UAW action.
>Trump’s praise of union busting is notable because the Republican presidential nominee is currently fighting to win support from organized labor in a tight race against Vice President Kamala Harris. 