this post was submitted on 23 Nov 2023
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Tesla may have picked an unwinnable fight with Sweden’s powerful unions — The first ever strikes and a solidarity blockade against the US carmaker could force it to rethink its entire anti-union model::The first ever strikes and a solidarity blockade against the US carmaker could force it to rethink its entire anti-union model, says journalist Martin Gelin

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[–] [email protected] 155 points 11 months ago (2 children)

I think Musk is caught up so deeply in his far right delusions by now that rethinking anything is just not on the cards.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I just hope he just crashes and takes that whole far right shit with him. Unfortunately, looking at the Netherlands, it doesn't look good.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Just because Wilders got the most votes doesn't mean he gets to form a government. Let's just hope sanity prevails.

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[–] [email protected] 151 points 11 months ago (4 children)

For you outside Sweden: There is no such thing as minimum wage. It's perfectly legal to hire someone for 0 SEK / month.

The whole idea is that a collective agreement should be negotiated and agreed upon by the employers and employees in each business area (like telecom, healthcare, factory workers, electricians etc etc). The idea is that the employers and employees, not the politicians, knows more about what their market/business area requires and is able to deliver in the form of minimum wage, yearly salary increase, vacation and overtime (among other things) .

Here's the thing that often is different in discusions like the one about Tesla refusing to sign a collective agreement: Collective agreements only limits the minimums. So the only reason to refuse to sign is if you intend to keep some thing below the levels that are the norm in your business area.

Essentially, you're trying to get unfair competitive advantage.

[–] [email protected] 29 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I am always impressed by the European laws, they are way ahead of anything. Honestly congrats to Sweden

[–] [email protected] 56 points 11 months ago (4 children)

That’s broadly not how the labour market works in Europe - but it does in Scandinavia, where the unions “won” (and long may they reign). Almost EVERYONE is in a union, most unions have negotiated a seat on the board of the business and as a result, the union-employer relationship is SO different to elsewhere. This includes the need for state interventions like minimum wage or work time maximums (except the EU directives on work time maximums, which the Nordic countries felt very uncomfortable adopting as it felt like an unnecessary intervention).

Consequently, the unions have “grown up” and don’t reflexively reject any labour market adjustments required. They act as a mature partner, even through redundancies, working to minimise and help people move on.

Partnered with the Scandinavian “flexicurity” model, where it’s very easy to hire and very easy to fire people, but the state has strong support for unemployed people in between jobs (education, financial support), the labour market is probably the most efficient in the world.

Social democracy, yo. It works.

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[–] [email protected] 125 points 11 months ago (1 children)

This is the guy who shit-posted so hard he had to buy Twitter. I don't think smart business is at the front of his mind.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

"We live in a meritocracy" btw

[–] [email protected] 99 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Tesla is taking out wanted ads to hire scabs.

Disgusting company, adapt to our model or go home.

[–] [email protected] 30 points 11 months ago

Keep pressure on both sides- shame the people that still buy them. Make those scabs useless

[–] [email protected] 74 points 11 months ago (1 children)

that would be great of course but you know who's very ready to double down and lose billions instead of saying 'uhmm you know what I think I was wrong and I need to correct course'?

yeah that guy

[–] [email protected] 67 points 11 months ago (15 children)

Scandinavia is pretty hooked on EVs. If Norway and Denmark pick up on this, it will not only harm Tesla but give the competition a really strong advantage to establish a competition that already is threatening Tesla's market shares

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[–] [email protected] 68 points 11 months ago (1 children)

American workers: scribbles notes furiously

[–] [email protected] 112 points 11 months ago

Then throws the notes away and calls everyone commies, guaranteeing their own low wages, long hours, and unsafe work conditions.

[–] [email protected] 56 points 11 months ago (1 children)

This is how strikes work. Not 1000 Amazon employees on black Friday.

[–] [email protected] 35 points 11 months ago

Have to build up enough momentum and regulation to overcome the very determined, active, anti-union attacks of Amazon (or Sbux, etc)

[–] [email protected] 40 points 11 months ago (2 children)

A US business rethink an anti-union model? Even businesses with unions would be happy to get rid of them here. They’re not going to rethink anything, they’ll expend every possible effort to avoid bending a knee to a union, especially a foreign one.

[–] [email protected] 59 points 11 months ago (9 children)

They literally can't sell cars any more in Sweden, on account of the postal service having a sympathy strike and no longer delivering registration plates to them. Using the postal service is the only legal means of obtaining registration plates, and without them it's not permitted to sell a car.

So either they rethink or they leave the Swedish market entirely.

Billionaires like to talk a lot about different kinds of ideologies, but at the end of the day, they all have the same ideology - Money. Put them in a situation where they clearly are going to make less without signing, and the signature will all of a sudden not be an impossibility any more.

[–] [email protected] 32 points 11 months ago (1 children)

the postal service having a sympathy strike and no longer delivering registration plates to them

Oh wow that's insane 😂

[–] [email protected] 32 points 11 months ago

Welcome to the Swedish labour market. Companies have tried and failed before to resist union negotiations.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 11 months ago (1 children)

the postal service having a sympathy strike and no longer delivering registration plates to them. Using the postal service is the only legal means of obtaining registration plates, and without them it's not permitted to sell a car.

Best.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 11 months ago

Makes you tear up a little with pride, doesn't it.

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[–] [email protected] 31 points 11 months ago

May the might of the Swedish unions always be in their favour.

[–] [email protected] 30 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (2 children)
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[–] [email protected] 27 points 11 months ago

Euuuuurope!!

[–] [email protected] 27 points 11 months ago

I fucking love this story.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Meanwhile in the USA I believe the supreme Court recently ruled that unions are responsible for repaying companies for striking...

[–] [email protected] 17 points 11 months ago

If memory serves, I don't think there were any actual damages in this case. They left a truck with a bunch of wet concrete and told someone, and the company had to haul ass so the concrete wouldn't solidify and break the truck. They did just that. It's ridiculous to ask for damages for that.

If they had left a fire or volatile process unattended, that would be different. Or if they created a gigantic mess for their coworkers to handle. But this isn't either of those.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 11 months ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:


What started as a minor local disagreement has grown to the point that it could have global implications, with potential ripple effects for labour movements and auto workers across Europe and the US.

The financial tech company Klarna recently had to give way after several years of attempting to resist collective bargaining agreements, and settled with employees in a victory for white-collar unions.

In the US, Tesla has been involved in a number of scandals over the past decade, with allegations relating to workplace safety, racial discrimination, sexual harassment, labour violations and unlawful practices to curb unionisation efforts.

When United Auto Workers organised strikes at the “big three” car companies – General Motors, Ford and Stellantis – in Michigan this summer, three-quarters of Americans said they supported it.

(Donald Trump also showed up in Michigan, but gave a speech at a non-unionised car parts maker, which was equally characteristic of his signature working-class cosplay without policy substance.)

For Musk, there are reasons to worry that his business model could be challenged, as the fight in Sweden reverberates with the strengthening power of labour organisers across American unions.


The original article contains 959 words, the summary contains 187 words. Saved 81%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

[–] [email protected] 21 points 11 months ago

get fucked capitalist scum

[–] [email protected] 20 points 11 months ago (5 children)

That's why you don't fuck with vikings.

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Thank you Europe for help fix our companies.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 11 months ago

Even if Tesla capitulates here, they won't change their domestic policies. This will only benefit those who are actually willing to stand up for themselves.

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[–] [email protected] 17 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Fight on Swedish Unions! Let that Son-of-a-Musk get a black eye for trying his BS over here!

[–] [email protected] 9 points 11 months ago (1 children)

"capitalists have picked an unwinnable fight with unions"

Tale as old as unions.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 11 months ago

It could, but it won't.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 11 months ago (3 children)

Despite the rightwing government currently in power in Sweden, calls to change the employment model are rare.

I thought rightwing means conservative, do they use the word to mean pro-capitalist now?

[–] [email protected] 19 points 11 months ago (1 children)

That is what "right wing" means in this part of the world. Liberals and conservatives usually work together when they can form the government.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Liberals here are mostly economic liberals with little care for other freedoms

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 11 months ago (1 children)

If their values are incompatible and they are inflexible they made a mistake and should relocate.

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