IG Metall, a powerful union in the German auto industry, claims it is gaining ground at Tesla Gigafactory Berlin, with more workers joining the union’s effort.
While a lot of attention is on the autoworker union in the US amid an expanding strike on Ford, GM, and Stellantis, Tesla is facing its own showdown with a union in Germany. In the US, Tesla has managed to fend off unionization efforts at its plants, but it is facing a different battle in Germany since establishing its Gigafactory Berlin – a giant factory just outside of the German capital.
Tesla ran into its first unionization effort in Germany back in 2017, but it managed to avoid IG Metall getting into its German operations by offering a salary increase and stock options to its employees. After Giga Berlin was announced, IG Metall said it was looking to get a foot into the new gigafactory. In 2021, the powerful German union put together a worker committee to recruit members from Tesla.
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