950 Million Reasons We Should Be Mad About Tesla

Today’s Buffalo News article, featuring stories of some of the brave workers we have been organizing with for the last year and a half, is right that we have reasons to be angry.

The $959M of public money that went into renovations, retrofitting, and equipment for Gigafactory 2 was spent with the promise of a new future: clean energy, high quality, well-paying jobs, and an economic transition to bring Buffalo and Western New York into the future. 

Workers, eager to start lifelong careers in a sustainable energy industry that would provide for their families, entered a workplace starkly different from their expectations. Rampant racism and sexual harassment shape the reality in Gigafactory 2, where women and workers of color face scrutiny, punishment, isolation, harassment, are blocked from promotions, and often, are unjustly terminated. This new economy is looking a lot like the old economy.

Tesla makes it abundantly clear that tackling carbon alone is not a solution to climate change. We know that we can not transition to a new and just economy while subsidizing companies and industries that cause harm to Black and Brown people. 

We are proud to fight alongside these workers, and are floored every day by their courage, their vision, and their commitment to fighting for a workplace that uplifts and supports all workers.