Tesla CEO Elon Musk is famously anti-union, but the automaker is raising wages for factory workers following big gains by the UAW.
According to CNBC, employees at the Fremont factory in California will receive a “market adjustment” this month. It’s not clear how much workers will receive, but the publication noted employees at Tesla’s battery plant in Nevada recently saw increases of around 10%.
That being said, we found a job listing for a Model 3 General Assembly Manufacturing Technician in Fremont. The expected compensation is listed as “$22.00 – $50.00/hour + cash and stock awards + benefits.” Speaking of the latter, the job provides healthcare, dental, and vision coverage as well as a 401(k) with employer match.
More: Tesla Fired Workers After They Announced Plans To Unionize, Employees Claim
The plant also has an assortment of other jobs, which start around $21 per hour for a paint sprayer and climb to $25 per hour for a body in white machine shop fabricator. Of course, the exact rate varies by job and experience level.
CNBC reached out to UAW President Shawn Fain, who told the publication that “Tesla is now following in the footsteps of Toyota, Hyundai, Volkswagen, and almost every other car company in raising wages in the wake of our historic victory at the Big Three, as non-union autoworkers everywhere are starting to stand up for themselves.” He added that “As great as these raises are, they still fall far short of what the companies can afford and what autoworkers are worth.”
Fain has been trying to expand UAW membership to include employees at Tesla as well as BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Lucid, Mazda, Mercedes, Nissan, Rivian, Subaru, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Volvo. He recently got the support of more than 30 U.S. Senators, who wrote a letter to executives encouraging them not to interfere in any organizing activities at their plants.
