UAW President Ray Curry says he never spoke to Tesla or Elon Musk

At a roundtable session with the Automotive Press Association on Tuesday, UAW Chief Ray Curry said that he had not spoken to Musk or any other Tesla person. Curry also discussed how the transition to electric vehicles could affect the union's 2023 agreements, how and where to organise EV entrepreneurs, as well as how supply shortages may give possibilities for firms in the United States during the hour-long event.

Tesla employees are not represented by a union. Staff members at Tesla's Fremont, California power station attempted to organise with the assistance of the UAW a few years ago, but the corporation thwarted their efforts by "force and coercion questioning" them and threatening them with the loss of stock options, actions that the National Labor Relations Board found infringed US labour law.

Among other things, the committee directed Musk to erase a tweet that discouraged unionisation. The panel's judgment has been challenged by the electric car producer, which is the most valuable car firm in the United States.


Curry said Tuesday that Tesla could show its dedication to unionisation negotiations by responding to the NLRB's concerns, rehiring employees who were fired, and abandoning its challenge of the company's decision.

Outside of the Detroit biggies, the UAW has pushed to unionise carmakers, but most U.S. plants run by European and Asian companies aren't unionised, and electronically controlled entrepreneurs like Lucid Group Inc. and Rivian Automotive Inc. don't either.

Whereas the UAW isn't quite as fortunate in organising electric-vehicle firms as it has with conventional manufacturers, Curry believes the lack of a union presence isn't a risk to the labour firm's success in the future.

Curry also detailed the firm's coordination at joint-venture battery plants serving the three major Detroit manufacturers in Tennessee, Ohio, and Michigan. He stated that the discussions are still ongoing.

Manufacturing is being hampered by resource delays, according to Curry, who said that the situation in Ukraine is exacerbating existing backlogs. He noted that the industry's turbulence may drive more supply contracts to the United States.

In October, Elon Musk tweeted about the president, calling him a puppet. The tycoon also slammed the Biden government's centrepiece legislation initiative, which would increase incentives for customers who purchase battery-powered cars.