The livestream on X featuring former President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk encountered more issues, this time extending beyond technical difficulties.
The United Auto Workers union has filed federal labor charges against Trump and Musk, alleging that both men attempted to “threaten and intimidate” workers participating in “protected concerted activity, such as strikes,” during the X Spaces livestream.
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During the contentious conversation, deemed by the UAW as “rambling, disorganized,” and “illegal,” Trump openly advocated for the termination of workers involved in strikes.
“I observe your actions, you walk in, you ask, ‘Do you want to quit?’ They go on strike,” Trump remarked to Musk via livestream. “I won’t disclose the company’s name, but they go on strike, and you say, ‘That’s fine, you’re all dismissed’.”
The UAW highlighted in their lawsuit that under U.S. federal law, employees cannot be fired solely for participating in strikes, and any employer threatening termination on such grounds violates workers’ rights under the National Labor Relations Act.
Related: Elon Musk Blames Cyberattack for Trump’s X Livestream Delays
“Both Trump and Musk want working class individuals to remain silent and obedient, openly jesting about it,” expressed UAW President Shawn Fain in a statement. “This behavior is unacceptable, illegal, and unfortunately, not surprising coming from these two individuals.”
In 2022, following Musk’s acquisition of Twitter (now X), he instigated widespread layoffs, displacing thousands of employees and senior leadership. In May, Musk terminated Tesla’s entire Supercharger team after facing resistance against further layoffs from a company executive.
Based in Michigan, the UAW currently represents more than 40,000 autoworkers and officially endorsed Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris earlier this month.
Trump and Musk have yet to respond to the filed charges.
