UAW files apparently 'frivolous' intimidation lawsuits against Trump, Musk — who have no control over UAW members' employment

On Tuesday, the United Auto Workers union announced that it filed labor charges against former President Donald Trump and Elon Musk following their recent Spaces interview on X.

The charges, filed separately, claimed that both Trump and Musk had attempted to "intimidate and threaten workers" during their interview. However, neither Trump nor Musk have the authority to dictate the hiring or firing practices of any automobile company that staffs the union's members. Tesla, owned by Musk, is not unionized.

'Shameless political stunt.'

In a statement on X, owned by Musk, the union wrote, "The UAW has filed federal labor charges against disgraced billionaires Donald Trump and Elon Musk for their illegal attempts to threaten and intimidate workers who stand up for themselves by engaging in protected concerted activity, such as strikes."

The UAW attempted to slam the Monday evening interview, which Musk claimed was wildly successful with one billion views. The union called the discussion "a rambling, disorganized conversation" during which Musk and Trump allegedly "advocated for the illegal firing of striking workers."

The allegations refer to comments Trump made to Musk, complimenting him for being "the greatest cutter." Trump was presumably referring to Musk's takeover of Twitter, during which Musk claimed that he had slashed the staff by roughly 80%.

Trump told Musk, "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 okay, you're all gone. You're all gone. Every one of you is gone.'"

"Yeah," Musk responded with a laugh during the interview.

The UAW, which previously endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president, said about Trump's comments, "Under federal law, workers cannot be fired for going on strike, and threatening to do so is illegal under the National Labor Relations Act."

UAW president Shawn Fain stated, "When we say Donald Trump is a scab, this is what we mean. When we say Trump stands against everything our union stands for, this is what we mean."

"Donald Trump will always side against workers standing up for themselves, and he will always side with billionaires like Elon Musk, who is contributing $45 million a month to a Super PAC to get him elected," Fain continued. "Both Trump and Musk want working-class people to sit down and shut up, and they laugh about it openly. It's disgusting, illegal, and totally predictable from these two clowns."

Musk, who has endorsed Trump for president, has denied the claim that he contributes $45 million monthly to his campaign. He responded to the UAW's filing by saying, "The last two UAW presidents went to prison for bribery & corruption and, based on recent news, it looks like this guy will join them!"

A Trump campaign spokesperson called the UAW's lawsuit "frivolous" and nothing more than an attempt to drive a wedge between the former president and the union's members, the Detroit News reported.

Campaign spokesperson Brian Hughes stated, "This frivolous lawsuit is a shameless political stunt intended to erode President Trump's overwhelming support among America's workers."

"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," Hughes added.

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