Tesla Wins Suit Against Sweden Over Union Solidarity

Photo: Tesla

Tesla has found itself in an interesting pickle over in Sweden. Workers at seven of its repair shops have put together a collective bargaining agreement with the company, but Tesla refuses to sign. As more unions in the country have stood in solidarity, refusing to work with Tesla until it negotiates with its own workers, the company has now turned to the courts for help.

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Earlier today, Tesla filed two lawsuits against Sweden’s equivalent of the DMV over undelivered license plates. The Swedish Transport Agency has a contract with a union shop to deliver mail, and those workers refused to deliver for Tesla, leaving its cars unable to be registered. Now, the courts have sided with Tesla, forcing the STA to find another means of delivery.

The STA sends its mail through a state-run company called PostNord, according to Reuters. PostNord’s workers are unionized, and stood in solidarity with the striking Tesla mechanics in the country. When called to court over the undelivered plates, the STA claimed that its contract with PostNord prevented the agency from delivering plates via alternate means. It seems that wasn’t enough to please the court, however, and the STA now has seven days to get Tesla its missing license plates or risk nearly $100,000 in fines.

Tesla claims its employees already have working conditions equivalent to or better than those specified in the collective bargaining agreement, which you’d think would make a signature an easy sell. If things are so good at the company, why not just sign? Surely it wouldn’t add any cost, if conditions already exceed those demanded by the workers.

The American EV company’s Swedish workers have been on strike for a month now, and it seems the company is willing to pull out every stop to avoid disruption to its business. Well, any stop except just signing the contract.