Lucid makes an absolutely fantastic electric car, and later this year, it plans to add an electric SUV to its lineup. Still, it’s struggled financially and has been hemorrhaging cash. Money isn’t the only problem Lucid is dealing with, though, as the National Labor Relations Board has accused the electric automaker of illegally firing pro-union employees, the Los Angeles Times reports.
According to the complaint, Lucid fired two employees because they joined the United Auto Workers union and expressed support for unionization. The automaker is also accused of “threatening, transferring and retaliating against employees,” as well as confiscating “union literature” and had employees convinced they were all under surveillance.
Lucid is far from the only automaker currently being targeted for unionization by the UAW, nor is it the first to be accused of anti-union behavior. Tesla has a long history of being anti-union, and the same can be said of many other automakers from Toyota to Volkswagen. After the UAW’s strike against the big three ended, the union made it clear that it planned to target even more brands, and the pay increases included in the new agreements led several non-union automakers to increase worker pay.
The UAW’s didn’t wait to start working to unionize Lucid until after the strike was over, though. While it’s not clear how long it’s been organizing, it brought the case in question to the NLRB last February, so it’s likely that it’s been targeting Lucid for at least a year. Thirty-three Senators have also sent an open letter to the 13 automakers being targeted by the UAW warning them not to interfere with unionization efforts.
If Lucid is found to have illegally fired pro-union workers, the NLRB can force the automaker to rehire them and change its policies, but it isn’t authorized to fine companies for labor violations.