Catherwood LibraryILR School

Swedish dock workers are refusing to unload Tesla vehicles, and cargo ship operators are examining the vehicles on cargo ships to determine if the vehicles will be unloaded. Tesla has long held a firm anti-union stance and Swedish Tesla workers are seeking to collectively bargain with the company. Swedish Tesla workers are the first group of Tesla employees to take labor action against Tesla, and workers will stop Tesla maintenance services in the country. The Swedish metal and industrial workers union, IF Metall, represents around 120 Tesla employees, and these employees are mechanics who provide maintenance support for vehicles. Tesla does not have any manufacturing plants in the country, so the company doesn’t employ factory and assembly plant workers. Over ninety percent of workers in Sweden are represented by trade unions and the country has a strong culture of union representation that provides workers with standardized wages, insurance, health coverage, and pensions. Workers all over Sweden are banding together to support Tesla workers, such as dockworkers and postal workers. These workers have stated that they will stop providing services to the company until they sign a collective bargaining agreement with Tesla workers.