Tesla,
the electric vehicle maker run by billionaire Elon Musk, may be testing a new approach to wooing workers thinking of unionizing at a plant in Nevada.
The company told workers that some set-rate hourly workers will receive pay raises of around 10% in January, according to CNBC, which cited internal company documents. At the low end of the scale, pay would rise to $22 an hour from $20 an hour, and at the higher end it could go to $34.50 from $30.65.
If the Nevada pay hikes are adopted as a strategy at other plants the move could impact margins at a time when
Tesla
has been cutting vehicle prices in many markets to boost sales.
The adjustment comes as Tesla faces disruption in Scandinavia from workers seeking to unionize. The United Auto Workers, after winning wage increases of 25% through 2028 for members at
Ford,
General Motors,
and
Stellantis
earlier this year, is trying to expand to other car makers.
Tesla didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment outside of normal business hours Tuesday. Shares were up 0.3% at $252.88 in premarket trading. They have more than doubled this year.
Musk has said he opposes the idea of unions. Last month he said that the small-scale strikes that started with mechanics in Sweden and then spread to dockworkers in other countries are “insane.”
Write to Brian Swint at brian.swint@barrons.com
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