Elon Musk Might Be Hosting SNL, but Tesla Workers Aren’t Laughing

by Richard Ortiz (Fortune) “The shift toward a cleaner future requires CEOs like Elon Musk to invest in me and my skills, instead of interfering with workers who try to come together,” writes former Tesla autoworker Richard Ortiz.

Electric cars and trucks don’t make themselves—they’re built and assembled by autoworkers like me. I started making cars in Fremont, Calif., more than 30 years ago. I started working at New United Motor Manufacturing Inc., a joint General Motors/Toyota facility, when I was just 19 years old; I grew up in that building. Eventually, the plant closed and then reopened in 2015 as a Tesla plant.

By then, I was a father, and my kids taught me the value of “going green.” I was proud to clock in for my shifts building cars that would help protect our planet for their generation and beyond. That is, until I was fired in 2017 after helping organize a union at the plant. The National Labor Relations Board recently ordered my reinstatement with full back pay, but the company is fighting this decision in the courts.

But we will only have a truly sustainable future if workers have a seat at the table throughout the transition from oil, gas, and internal combustion engines to batteries, charging stations, and zero-emission vehicles.

Unfortunately, while Musk and his colleagues are rushing to the EV future, they’re trying to drag us back to a robber baron past where bosses call the shots and workers are treated as costs to be minimized.

Companies that take workers for granted or get in the way of worker organizing risk long-term pain in exchange for short-term gain. Some carmakers say that to be competitive they can’t pay union wages or work with a union on health and safety issues. Some of these new CEOs think there’s nothing to learn from Detroit and the companies that created the auto industry. But Henry Ford was onto something when he recognized that he could sell more cars if his workers were paid well. It’s also clear companies can save money and time in turnover when workers earn good wages and benefits and feel safe on the job.

So, when I hear that companies like Tesla are the key to a sustainable future, I get very concerned.

The American Jobs Plan also includes the PRO Act, which would make the process for joining and forming a union free and fair. Congress must pass the American Jobs Plan—and the PRO Act—so we can level the playing field for workers and protect our right to demand better on the job. READ MORE