Tesla eyeing Russia as a potential production hub, says Elon Musk

 

Elon Musk said on Friday that; Tesla was close to establishing a presence in Russia and was looking at whether it could open factories there.

Addressing an event in Russia via video link, Tesla boss Musk said the company already had production sites in China and the United States; but was looking at opening production facilities in other parts of the world.

Meanwhile, The National Labor Relations Board has decided that Tesla violated labor laws when it fired a union activist; and when CEO Elon Musk wrote on Twitter in 2018: “Nothing stopping Tesla team at our car plant from voting union. Could do so tmrw if they wanted. But why pay union dues & give up stock options for nothing?”

Among other things, the federal agency has directed Tesla to ask Musk to remove his offending tweet; and to offer a job back to the terminated employee, Richard Ortiz.

Tesla must also compensate Ortiz for loss of earnings, benefits and adverse tax consequences that resulted from his firing.

The employee was part of an organizing campaign, “Fair Future at Tesla.” At the time of the campaign; Tesla said its business should stay union-free. But Musk’s public comments on his Twitter account, where he has tens of millions of followers, were seen as threatening.