Tesla’s Swedish labor dispute pits anti-union Musk against Scandinavian worker ideals

By KELVIN CHAN
AP Business Writer

Tesla has found itself locked in an increasingly bitter dispute with union workers in Sweden and neighboring countries. The electric car maker’s CEO Elon Musk is staunchly anti-union. The showdown pits Musk against the strongly held labor ideals of Scandinavian countries. None of Tesla’s workers anywhere in the world are unionized. That raises questions about whether strikes could spread to other parts of Europe where employees commonly have collective bargaining rights. That includes Germany which is Tesla’s most important market. Musk hasn’t obscured his disdain for unions. The world’s wealthiest person has said that unions try to create negativity in a company. Musk denies that Tesla has a wealth hierarchy largely because the company awards everyone stock options.