DETROIT (AP) – Tesla CEO Elon Musk has tweeted his way to trouble with another federal agency, this time the National Labor Relations Board.
The board found Thursday that a May 20, 2018 Musk tweet illegally threatened employees with the loss of stock options if they chose to be represented by the United Auto Workers union.
Board members ordered Tesla to force Musk to delete the tweet and stop workers with loss of benefits for supporting a labor group.
Tesla is also required to submit a notice addressing unfair work practices at the Fremont, California facility, and submit a notice addressing the tweet at all facilities across the country.
The UAW, which had been trying to set up the 10,000-employee Fremont plant, said the order was a huge benefit for employees who have the confidence to stand up to companies like Tesla. Vice President Cindy Estrada said in a statement that the system is “currently heavily stacked for employers like Tesla who have no guarantee of breaking the law. ”
Messages were left Thursday seeking comment from Tesla.
In its decision, the board agreed with an administrative law judge ruling against Tesla in September of 2019.
The board also told Tesla a reinstated employee who was fired for organizing an activity and giving him a refund. In addition to the payback, Tesla has no financial penalties, the UAW said.
Musk tweeted on May 20, 2018: “Nothing is stopping the Tesla team at our car center from voting. They could do that if they wanted to. But why pay union taxes and offer stock options for nothing? Our safety record is 2X better than when the UAW plant was and everyone is already receiving health care. ”
This is the second time Musk has gone wrong with federal rules on twitter. In September of 2018, Musk and Tesla agreed to pay $ 20 million each and make discounts to settle a Securities and Exchange Commission lawsuit accusing Musk investors of being duped by statements about a plan to private company.