Tesla is fighting an order from the US National Labor Relations Council (NLRB) that would force a change in messages about union issues at the company.
What happened: Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) appealed a decision made last month by the NLRB, which ordered CEO Elon Musk to delete what the board considered an anti-union tweet, Reuters reported.
The NLRB also said that Tesla violated U.S. labor laws when the company fired union activist Richard Ortiz in 2018 and ordered Tesla to offer it to him.
In a petition on Friday, Tesla requested that the U.S. Court of Appeals, based in New Orleans, review the NLRB decision.
The company also asked the court to review the NLRB’s decision to order Musk to delete the 2018 tweet.
On that tweet, Musk wrote: “Nothing prevents the Tesla team at our auto plant from voting for the union. It could do it if it wanted to. But why pay union fees and give up stock options in exchange for nothing? Our safety record is twice as good as when the factory was UAW and everyone already has health care. “
Why does it matter: Tesla said its factories should remain without unions and Musk has repeatedly clashed with workers at the Fremont factory for its pro-union stance.
Musk being told to delete his tweet is also significant, as Tesla counts his CEO’s tweets as an official communication from the company.
Last month’s NLRB order also said that Tesla should address the “illegal” tweet on all of its sites publicly, including a statement that says, “WE will take appropriate steps to ensure that Musk complies with our directive.”
The board also said that Tesla should terminate the 2017 regulations that prohibit employees from distributing union information or pamphlets without the company’s prior approval.
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