Tesla boss Elon Musk was offended not to have been invited to the White House Thursday by Joe Biden for an event dedicated to the electric car, but reserved for the three manufacturers linked to the main automobile union.
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“I'm not saying it's sabotage. But this is sabotage, ”
is written on an image of a skeptical expression man tweeted by Elon Musk, in response to a CNBC video. The head of Tesla, a 100% electric car manufacturer, seems to be surprised not to be one of the guests at the White House ceremony, organized Thursday afternoon by the US president to give the car a boost. electric.
"Today, it is the three largest employers of the UAW (United Auto Workers, the powerful American automobile union, editor's note) and the president of the UAW who will stand alongside Joe Biden"
, reacted the door -speak of the White House, Jen Psaki, during his daily press briefing.
Conflict with UAW
Did the White House knowingly decide to exclude Elon Musk, openly opposed to the unions, from this event?
“These are the three main players in UAW. So I leave you to draw your own conclusion, ”
replied Jen Psaki, questioned during the press briefing. Tesla has a long-standing dispute with the UAW, which filed a complaint in 2017, accusing the group of sacking workers for their union sympathies. And last March, the US agency in charge of labor law (NLRB) rendered a decision unfavorable to the manufacturer. Joe Biden is always anxious to promise
“well-paid and unionized jobs”
, which is why he rallied the powerful UAW union to his initiative in favor of electric vehicles.
Jen Psaki, however, indicated that she "didn't expect
this to be the last time we talk about clean cars (...) and we look forward to having a range of partners in this effort
.
"
“We of course applaud the efforts of automakers who recognize the potential of a future electric vehicle and support efforts that will help achieve the president's goal. And certainly Tesla is one of those companies, ”
she also said.