A federal appeals court in the United States has ruled that Tesla prohibits workers at its assembly plant in Fremont, California from wearing pro union T-shirts, which does not violate US labor laws.
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Tuesday that Tesla's uniform policy is legal, as it requires all employees to wear company issued shirts and allows them to display union stickers.
This ruling overturns a ruling by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) last year, which stated that any attempt to ban union clothing is illegal unless the employer can prove "special circumstances" such as safety issues.
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals also stated that Tesla still allows workers to "stick any number or size of union stickers on their team clothing," so the automaker did not illegally interfere with union organizations.
In 2017, Tesla established a dress code policy that only allowed employees to wear prescribed uniforms. Tesla's "team attire" policy requires employees to wear black shirts with the Tesla logo. Tesla stated that this policy is necessary to ensure that vehicles are not damaged during the assembly process.
At that time, the UAW was mobilizing Tesla employees to join the union, but it was unsuccessful. UAW accused Tesla of using various illegal means to prevent employees from joining the union, but Tesla denied this accusation.
After a historic victory in recent battles with Detroit's three major car giants, UAW has targeted car companies such as Tesla that have not yet formed a union. Last week, US President Biden expressed his support for unions to include Tesla and Toyota workers.
The Fifth Circuit Court is still considering Tesla's appeal against another NLRB ruling. According to the ruling, Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted in 2018 that if employees join a union, they will lose stock options, which violates federal labor laws.