Senator Ryan Calls for Investigation to Ensure New York is Not Subsidizing Illegal Anti-Union Behavior by Taxpayer-Backed Company
New York State Senator Sean Ryan sent a letter urging Empire State Development and the Fort Schuyler Management Corporation to investigate the circumstances surrounding recent layoffs at the Tesla Gigafactory in Buffalo. The two state entities are contractually obligated to provide oversight of Tesla’s employment numbers and enforce penalties related to hiring benchmarks.
Tesla reportedly laid off dozens of workers at its Buffalo facility last week, just one day after the plant’s employees announced Tesla Workers United, a campaign to organize a labor union among the factory’s workers. Given the timing, as well as Tesla’s documented history of anti-union activity, Senator Ryan is calling for a closer inspection of the situation by the entities empowered to provide oversight at the plant.
Senator Sean Ryan said, “As a taxpayer-subsidized company, Tesla must be held to the highest possible standards, and the treatment of its employees must be beyond reproach. Even the appearance of anti-union tactics is something that must be taken very seriously. This incident makes clear that the state’s failure to mandate labor neutrality as a condition of the subsidies was a mistake, and demonstrates the importance of doing so for companies receiving similar subsidies in the future.”
