Lucid Motors Under NLRB Scrutiny, Requested Arizona Court to Block from Further Unfair Labor Practices

By Moon Harper

Jun 12, 2024 02:10 AM EDT

Lucid, Inc., an electric vehicle manufacturer, is urged by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to cease practices allegedly violating federal labor statutes, as requested in the US District Court in Arizona.

Lucid Motors' Anti-Union Efforts

The injunction, filed under the National Labor Relations Act, safeguards employees' rights to unionize and engage in collective bargaining. It accuses Lucid of initiating a multifaceted campaign in early 2023 to suppress legally protected unionizing endeavors.

The filing also claims that Lucid terminated two employees who were heavily involved in activities aimed at forming a union at a facility in Casa Grande, which is against the law.

NLRB Urging Arizona Court to Interfere

An attorney representing the National Labor Relations Board is urging an Arizona judge to reinstate the two former employees, who Lucid Motors purportedly dismissed for their unionization efforts at the company's plant. While a hearing before the judge is slated for October 9, Tucker Bingham, the NLRB attorney, asserted in a recent filing that the court's failure to act promptly would unfairly prevent the workers' attempts to join the United Auto Workers.

In the June 6 filing, Bingham emphasized that enforcing a final National Labor Relations Board Order typically takes years, potentially rendering the employees' campaign irreparable by that time. To safeguard the workers' rights and uphold the Board's remedial authority, Bingham requested the court issue a preliminary injunction compelling the respondent to provide interim reinstatement.

Should the two employees, Amie Hansen and Chad Brewer, regain their positions, they could potentially revive their organizing efforts supported by the UAW at Lucid's Casa Grande, Arizona, facility. While a successful outcome at Lucid may represent a modest win for the UAW, which primarily targets larger, well-established automakers' US plants, it could hold greater significance for Lucid and its roughly 6,100 remaining employees, where approximately 2,500 are employed at or in proximity to the Casa Grande plant, as reported by AZ Central.

Lucid's Terminated Employees

The NLRB's court filing reveals that Hansen and Brewer initiated efforts to form a bargaining unit under the UAW in January 2023. The following month, they were allegedly terminated unlawfully as retaliation and filed a complaint with the NLRB, which acts as a federal arbiter in labor disputes, shortly thereafter.

Lucid claims they falsified timecards. A spokesperson for the company asserted to The Detroit News that Lucid respects employees' rights under the National Labor Relations Act to choose or refuse union representation and did not interfere with these rights in any manner. The spokesperson further stated that Lucid lawfully separated the employees due to violations of company policy.

The statement also expressed confidence that the National Labor Relations Board has no grounds to seek an injunction in federal court, reiterating its commitment to adhering to the law and safeguarding employees' rights to make decisions without facing harassment, threats, or coercion.