Elon Musk's X, formerly known as Twitter, is facing serious allegations from the U.S. National Labor Relations Board, or NLRB, for reportedly illegally firing an employee due to her public opposition to the company's return-to-office policy.
What happened: The NLRB stated that the dispute began on Nov. 10, 2022, when Musk, who had acquired Twitter for $44 billion, issued a directive for employees to return to the office, reported Reuters. Musk had stated then, "If you can physically make it to an office and you don't show up, resignation accepted."
This directive triggered a series of events.
See Also: Elon Musk’s Plans To Weed Out Bots From X, Enables Verified-User-Only Replies Option — What It Means
In response to Musk's order, Twitter employee Yao Yue took to the social media site and urging her fellow workers, "Don’t resign, let him fire you."
However, this act of defiance against the return-to-office policy reportedly led to her termination. The NLRB's regional director alleged that Yao Yue's firing was in violation of the National Labor Relations Act, which safeguards employees' rights to communicate and organize concerning their working conditions.
Musk has, in the past on numerous occasions, criticized remote work. In May, he even said it was "morally wrong" when service workers still have to show up in person, while the "laptop classes" enjoyed the privileges of working from home.
Notably, this is the first formal complaint against X by the NLRB. Musk's acquisition of Twitter was marked by a series of firings, which saw more than half of the company's workforce laid off, supposedly as a cost-cutting measure. The layoffs have generated a wave of lawsuits, including claims of gender and disability discrimination and failure to provide promised severance to affected employees.
Why It’s Important: This is not the first time that Musk has faced NLRB scrutiny. The agency has previously cited Musk and Tesla for alleged anti-union activities, including interrogating and discriminating against employees supporting unionization. Musk has also been vocal about his opposition to labor organizing, exemplified by a 2018 tweet that prompted the NLRB to direct its deletion.
Photo by Frederic Legrand – COMEO on Shutterstock
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