Tesla’s trash won’t get picked up as union actions in Sweden escalate

Tesla will have to skip trash day in Sweden as the country’s labor groups continue to protest the company’s anti-union policies. Reuters reports the country’s Transport Workers’ Union will refuse to pick up waste at the automaker’s workshops in solidarity with Tesla autoworkers who’ve been on strike since October 27th.

Tesla has resisted collective bargaining agreements worldwide, but Sweden’s strong labor culture is continuing to test the automaker’s policy.

After 130 workers at Tesla repair shops walked out, the first show of solidarity came from union dockworkers who refused to unload Tesla vehicles from cargo ships in early November. Then, on November 20th, postal workers joined the effort by refusing to deliver mail to Tesla, including license plates. On November 27th, the automaker then sued and initially won the right to pick up the license plates directly from Sweden’s Transport Agency.

Tesla’s license plate victory was short-lived, however, as another Swedish court put a pause on the ruling until a final decision is made. Tesla is also facing pressure from the country’s pension funds to get the company in the collective bargaining seat. Whether Tesla will budge is still up in the air — air that will start reeking of piled garbage starting on December 24th when the strike begins.

Tesla has also resisted efforts by its employees to unionize in the US. It allegedly fired pro-union workers who were trying to organize in Buffalo, New York, suppressed employees from talking about pay in Orlando, Florida, and tried to prevent employees from wearing union swag.