DETROIT (WXYZ) — The United Auto Workers union is filing federal labor charges against both former President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, saying the two made comments that threaten workers' ability to strike.
It happened as Musk hosted Trump for a Spaces conversation on his platform X.
Video: UAW files labor charges against Donald Trump, Elon Musk alleging worker intimidation
"You — you're the greatest cutter," Trump said to Musk. "I mean, I look at what you do: you walk in and you just say you want to quit? They go on strike — I won't mention the name of the company, but they go on strike. And you say that's OK, you're all gone. You're all gone. So every one of you is gone. And you are the greatest — you would be very good."
“That could potentially mean me and my constituency, and I represent 4,000 UAW workers. That bothers me," said UAW member and Dearborn Truck Plant building Chairperson Nick Kotallis. "It's going to be hard for me to get over that."
As a UAW member, Kotallis knows what it’s like to be involved with a strike. He learned of Trump’s comments during that Monday conversation with Musk.
"He (Trump) was almost in total support of Elon Musk shutting down people who unionize, or if people go on strike he would cut 'em. That doesn't sit well with me,” Kotallis said.
In response to the comments, the UAW and President Shawn Fain filed federal labor charges against Trump and Musk, calling the comments an "illegal attempt to threaten and intimidate workers."
“Employers need to be held accountable in this country when they break the law," Fain said in a recorded video statement. "It is a federal right of workers to go on strike and they cannot be fired for that.”
However, Marick Masters, professor emeritus at Wayne State University’s School of Business, questions the merits of the UAW’s case.
“I think it is somewhat debatable the extent to which Trump actually made a statement to that effect... It's unclear of who the victims of any particular act would be, and that makes it somewhat dubious in my mind as to the merits of this particular charge," Masters said. "I think they’ve largely been filed for political reasons rather than for legal reasons because nobody has been fired. I don't know what the remedy would be in this particular case, I can't believe the remedy would be Donald Trump as a presidential candidate can't talk about these issues in a political campaign.”
While there may not be legal repercussions, the comments could hurt Trump in November in key states like Michigan. Although Biden did come to Michigan in support of striking UAW workers last year, Kotallis says he and his plant are both 50/50. Kotallis hopes Trump will explain what he meant by the comment made to Musk.
Watch our previous coverage when Biden joined the UAW picket line in the video below:
"I have not persuaded anybody any which way because I'm still undecided, but I'm not happy with President Trump’s comments,” Kotallis said. "When he (Biden) stepped down and our vice president was going to be our candidate, I was not all in. But these comments from President Trump are making me lean more and more towards the vice president.”
In response, Trump campaign senior advisor Brian Hughes issued a statement saying:
“This frivolous lawsuit is a shameless political stunt intended to erode President Trump’s overwhelming support among America’s workers. While Kamala Harris pushes a job-crushing electric vehicle mandate that is crippling [thehill.com] our manufacturing industry, raising costs [foxnews.com], and sending even more jobs to China [foxbusiness.com], President Trump has pledged to slap a 100 percent tariff on Chinese imports to make sure that the future of the auto industry will be made in America. Democrat special interest bosses may lie and stoke fear to try and stop President Trump from creating the broadest coalition of any candidate in history, but rank-and-file workers and their families know the truth. President Trump strengthened our economy and delivered results on behalf of the forgotten men and women of America, and he will do it again when he is re-elected on November 5.”
