Skip to main content

To: Travis County, TX Commissioners

No More Elon Musk Tax Breaks

Tesla should not receive tax breaks for “job creation” while firing thousands of people!

Elon Musk just laid off 2,700 workers at his Tesla plant in Austin, TX, 3,300 workers in California, and roughly 500 workers in Buffalo, NY, after months of union-busting and worker exploitation. In Texas, local governments gave Musk $64 MILLION DOLLARS in tax incentives to set up shop in Austin, in part because of the promise of the jobs he would create, and now he’s firing thousands. It’s a pattern repeated in other parts of the country too, like California, where Musk got a $15 million tax break ‘tied to job creation’.

Tesla should not continue to get these massive tax breaks while it’s firing thousands and not taking safety seriously! It needs to live up to its commitments to provide jobs with living wages, strong safety standards and job security. Join this petition to support all states and counties giving Tesla tax breaks and incentives, to do everything they can to push Elon Musk to live up to the spirit of Tesla’s agreements!

Why is this important?

Workers who helped build and maintain the Austin plant say they were exploited and exhausted from the work. One worker who had his hand mangled at work said superintendents would pretend as if nothing happened. Safety training and documentation were also part of the agreement Musk made to get the tax breaks, but researchers say that some of those documents were filled out fraudulently.

Musk’s other company SpaceX is fighting to undo worker protections and get rid of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the federal agency in charge of worker and union protections. Recently, Musk filed a lawsuit to destroy the NLRB, ridiculously calling it “the very definition of tyranny.” Elon Musk is no friend of workers. One electric vehicle expert says this is “more than hiring inefficiency and restructuring … Musk is cleaning house.”

Whatever promises Elon Musk made to get the tax breaks, Tesla should not continue to get these massive tax breaks while it’s firing thousands and not taking safety seriously.

Updates

2024-05-09 17:14:37 -0400

1,000 signatures reached

2024-05-09 16:31:08 -0400

500 signatures reached

2024-05-09 10:10:50 -0400

100 signatures reached

2024-05-09 09:49:19 -0400

50 signatures reached

2024-05-09 09:41:40 -0400

25 signatures reached

2024-05-09 09:36:28 -0400

10 signatures reached