(NewsNation) — The United Auto Workers union has filed federal labor charges accusing former President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk of advocating for threatening and intimidating workers who are engaging in strikes and other protective activities.
The move comes after a conversation on X Monday night between Trump and Musk, who advocated for the firing of striking workers, which is illegal.
“They go on strike and you say, ‘that’s okay, you’re all gone,'” Trump said. “You’re all gone, every one one of you is gone.”
Trump appeared to also be referencing Musk’s decision to gut the staff at X, then known as Twitter, after buying the company. Musk faced lawsuits from employees following the mass layoffs and has also faced accusations of illegally firing workers at SpaceX.
The charges come as Trump has spoken out against UAW President Shawn Fain, while in contrast, Teamsters President Sean O’Brien spoke at the Republican National Convention.
Under federal law, workers can’t be fired for going on strike, and using the threat of firing against striking workers is illegal.
“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 said. “Both Trump and Musk want working-class people to sit down and shut up, and they laugh about it openly.”
