US election campaign: US union files complaint against Trump and Musk

Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger US election campaign: US union files complaint against Trump and Musk 13 hours • 2 minutes reading time Fallen from favor with union members: Donald Trump and Elon Musk. After the live conversation between tech billionaire Elon Musk and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, one of the most influential US unions has filed a labor law complaint at the federal level. The two "disgraced billionaires" spoke out in favor of the "illegal dismissal of striking workers" in front of over a million listeners on Monday evening (local time), according to a statement from the United Auto Workers (UAW). Specifically, the union was referring to Trump, who had said to Musk in the conversation: "If they go on strike, you say: That's okay, then you're all gone. You're all gone. Every one of you is gone." Musk reacted with laughter. Employees at Tesla, the electric car manufacturer he runs, are not unionized in the USA because the man who is currently the wealthiest person in the world according to Forbes considers this to be decidedly unnecessary. "Both Trump and Musk want working-class people to sit down and shut up, and they are openly laughing about it," commented UAW President Shawn Fain. "It's disgusting, illegal and completely predictable from these two clowns." UAW says it represents more than 400,000 active workers in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico - primarily from the auto industry. Politically, the union traditionally supports Democrats. At the end of July, it backed the party's presidential candidate, Kamala Harris. In the USA, the right to strike is protected at the federal level - it is illegal to fire or intimidate employees who threaten to strike. The National Labor Relations Board decides whether the UAW complaint will be investigated. The federal agency is responsible for compliance with labor law in the USA. If it initiates an investigation and comes to the conclusion that a violation has indeed occurred, penalties can be imposed. (dpa)