Who would get them those jobs?

In the CBA that IF Metall is trying to have Tesla sign there is a part about support if you lose your job (omställningsstöd). It’s an extra safetynet that, and while it doesn’t promise to lead to a new job, it helps you on the way.

At the moment workers at Tesla doesn’t have this, and that is one of the reasons for the strike.

If there was a CBA in place these workers would get help finding new jobs. So absolutely, the union care about them having jobs.

Yes, but I’ve also heard unions being called maffia so I think they somewhat cancel each other out. =)

Workers band toghether in unions and companies band together in employer organization and they together say what is best for each sector. A single company is too small to deal with the unions similar to how a single employee is to small to deal with the company. To set the rules for an entire sector of the labor market you need everyone to be involved.

And the companies don’t really collude together other then when they are dealing with the unions.

Then both unions and employer organisations band together into LO and Svenskt Näringsliv to be big enough to deal with the government.

The increases in the CBA is very low. It’s to ensure you that you get at least some increase. Because if you don’t, and there is inflation, you are essentually have less buying power even if you have one more year of experience.

It has to go really bad for a company, or the employee has to do really bad to get the minimum raise as stated in the CBA. Just like everywhere else, you get more raise when the company does well, it’s the difference between zero and just above zero.

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Why would anyone take the job? One answer is that they couldn’t get any other job, or the jobs thay could take with better pay was too far away. Or that the rent was due and the job at Tesla was the quickest one available, at that point you are in no position to argue about part time retirement. There’s many occasions when you have to take a job even if you think the wages is too low. That’s why the different companies sit down together with the union and discuss what’s the absolute lowest reasonable pay.

Note that this also can be a useful play by the companies. If Tesla can pay higly over the lowest pay. They can go into those negotiations trying to press that number up so that their competition also have to pay more.

1. The unions wants there to be a minimum wage, the same one as other mechanics. Tesla say they already have so no worry here, but the union say it’s lower then the rest in the sector so it’s difficult to say who is right.

The union also want a minimal increase to the wages each year to keep up with inflation, as now Tesla don’t need to give anyone a raise ever, if they don’t want to.

The union also want there to be a way to take out partial pension for the workers who want this, similar to other people in Sweden.

And they want the workers at Tesla to have adjustment support if they are fired due to sickness or labour shortage to help them find a new job.

I think those are the main ones. Very minimal things that everyone else has.

2. Why wouldn’t the mechanics be allowed to be hired? It’s a free market and nothing would stop them from being hired. It’s up to the company who they hire and up to the worker to accept that offer, with some basic laws in place about discrimination and such.

Yes, and they still can have that if the CBA is signed.

Yes even people that aren’t in the union would be protected by the agreement. That’s why the agreement is written as a floor. If you have 40 days of vacation each year, an agreement that for example say that Tesla can’t change that to under 26 days is not bad for you. If you have 25 days/year now, the agreement would give you an extra day so that you have the minimum as every other worker in the sector.

However, you are still free to not join the union. So no fees for you but also no say in what the union do.

I think you are misdunderstanding the situation. They have all this money because the union has 300,000 members that has contributed for years. This strike is very small so only 130 people are using that money at the moment.

If the whole union went on strike, the money wouldn’t last that long. Maybe a single year.