Elon Musk Is Getting Absolutely Destroyed in Sweden

The pressure against Tesla is really starting to mount in northern Europe.

After unions stopped unloading Tesla vehicles from ships in Sweden last month over a labor disagreement with the Elon Musk-led company, the Swedish Transport Workers' union announced today that it will stop collecting waste at Tesla workshops on Christmas Eve to turn up the pressure — unless, of course, the EV maker signs a collective agreement in Sweden.

And it's not just Sweden — many neighboring countries are now also looking to take action in solidarity.

"This kind of sympathy action is very unusual," Tommy Wreeth, head of the transport union, told the Financial Times. "We are doing it now to protect the integrity of Swedish collective agreements and the Swedish labor market model."

"Tesla cannot buck the norm in the Swedish labor market," he added.

In late October, workers under the IF Metall union went on strike, arguing that Tesla wasn't willing to bargain with the union over wages, pensions, and insurance.

Unsurprisingly, given Musk's previous pursuit of union-busting tactics, Tesla has refused to come to the table ever since.

Instead of beating around the bush, Musk has been overt about his hatred for collective bargaining and workers' rights.

"I disagree with the idea of unions," he said during the New York Times's Dealbook Summit last week, the same event at which he told advertisers to go "fuck" themselves.

Unsurprisingly, the company's inaction on the matter has led to an outpouring of solidarity, with unions across Sweden banding together against the carmaker, blocking imports at ports and refusing to repair damaged Tesla chargers, among other actions.

Postal workers have stopped delivering mail to the company, including license plates. A local court of appeal also overturned Tesla's attempts to have license plates directly delivered from the Swedish Transport Agency.

Meanwhile, Musk has called the strike "insane," effectively throwing fuel onto the growing fire.

Fast forward just over a week, and unions in Norway, Denmark, and Finland have now said they're also ready to stop unloading cars from ships, according to the Financial Times.

And it's not just workers. Denmark's largest pension fund announced last week that it's selling its Tesla stock holdings over Musk's refusal to bargain.

Now, the Swedish Transport Workers' union is leaving the carmaker with a literal trash pile by refusing to pick up garbage from the company.

Musk isn't just picking a fight with Swedish workers — he's drawing out a lengthy legal battle with much of northern Europe.

And there's plenty on the line for the carmaker, as Teslas are hugely popular in Sweden and Norway.

"Even if you are one of the richest people in the world, you can’t just make your own rules," said Jan Villadsen, the chairman of the 3F union’s transport division, in a statement. "We have some agreements on the labor market in the Nordics, and you have to comply with them if you want to do business here."

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