On Wednesday, February 16, 2022, Tesla Inc. terminated dozens of employees at its plant in Buffalo, New York, just one day after Autopilot workers at the facility announced a union campaign. The union Workers United accused Tesla of illegally terminating the employees in retaliation for union activity and to discourage union activity. The union filed a complaint with the US National Labor Relations Board, requesting a federal court injunction to prevent irreparable destruction of employee rights resulting from Tesla’s unlawful conduct.
Several of the terminated employees had been involved in labor discussions, including at least one who was a member of the organizing committee. The union claims that the terminations were a form of collective retaliation against the group of workers that started the organizing effort, designed to terrify everyone about potential consequences of organizing, as well as to attempt to cull the herd.
In a blog post on Thursday, Tesla denied that it acted in response to the union campaign and said the terminations were decided earlier in the month as part of a routine performance-review process. The company said it had 675 employees who label data for Tesla’s Autopilot system in Buffalo, and the 4% it fired had received prior feedback on their poor performance from their managers.
An organizing committee of 25 employees had sent an email to Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk early Tuesday with their intent to unionize. Arian Berek, one of the organizers, was among those terminated, according to the union’s filing.
The Autopilot analysts are non-engineering roles that contribute to Tesla’s automated-driving development, including by identifying objects in images its vehicles capture and helping its systems recognize them on the road, according to the union. The company dismissed hundreds of workers performing these jobs in California last year.
In addition to job security and increased pay, employees have said they seek a say in workplace decision-making and want to curb monitoring, metrics, and production pressure that they claim are harmful to their health. They say Tesla monitors their keystrokes and tracks how long they spend per task and how much of the day they spend actively working. This leads some to avoid taking bathroom breaks, several employees previously told Bloomberg News.
The union has said it aims to organize the roughly 1,000 manufacturing employees at the facility. Workers United successfully organized hundreds of Starbucks Corp. stores last year, after securing a landmark win at a Buffalo cafe six miles from the Tesla plant.
TSLA Stock Price Forecast & Analysis
The current analyst projections for Tesla Inc stock. The average analyst target price for Tesla Inc over the next 12 months is USD 246.14. This estimate is based on the forecasts of 45 analysts who cover the company. Additionally, the average analyst rating for Tesla Inc is Strong Buy, which indicates a high level of confidence in the company’s future prospects.
Stock Target Advisor’s own analysis of Tesla Inc’s stock is Slightly Bullish. This assessment is based on 11 positive signals and 5 negative signals. The positive signals may include factors such as positive earnings growth, increasing revenue, or positive news coverage, while negative signals may include factors such as decreasing earnings, declining revenue, or negative news coverage.
As of the last market close, Tesla Inc’s stock price was USD 202.04. The stock price has changed by -2.55% over the past week, +65.07% over the past month, and -34.36% over the last year. It’s important to note that the stock market is dynamic and subject to a range of factors that can influence stock prices, including changes in the company’s financial performance, industry trends, and macroeconomic conditions. As such, future stock performance may deviate significantly from current projections.
