Tesla told Austin workers on its Model Y and Cybertruck lines to stay home for the week of Memorial Day, three workers told Business Insider.

The break is unusually long, the workers said. Production lines were up and running during the same period last year, they said.

The electric vehicle maker notified employees earlier this week. The workers, who are paid hourly, were told they could either take paid time off or come in for cleaning and training but would not be working on the production line.

Tesla deliveries dropped 13% year over year during the first quarter.

    • 🇰 🌀 🇱 🇦 🇳 🇦 🇰 🇮
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      14 days ago

      Happened to me there, though not as long. Friday, they told everyone on the line I worked on (S) most of us were being let go, but a few of us (myself included) were told we were staying. Fast-forward to Monday, they called me while half-way to work (this was in Fremont and I live in the central valley, so it was a 2 hour drive without traffic; which is never going to happen on the Altamonte) to say they actually let everyone go.

      • AFK BRB Chocolate
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        1914 days ago

        That really sucks. I’m not sorry for Tesla, but I’m sorry for the workers caught up in the shit show.

      • @D_C@lemm.ee
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        1113 days ago

        I am a cynical bastard, and I wonder if they told everyone that they were one of the people not being let go, then contacted them later to tell them everyone was being laid off.

        It gives the workers a -temporary- feeling of relief. Which could stop a riot etc etc.
        And it’s so very dishonestly devious that it’s deffo something that Felon Mucks would do, just because he can.

  • @superkret@feddit.org
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    4714 days ago

    Didn’t Trump’s tariffs remove the unfair advantage of foreign cars so now superior US-made cars dominate the free market because they’re the best?
    And Tesla’s cars, with their Full Self Driving™ technology are literally 20 years ahead of the competition, so why aren’t people buying them??
    I don’t understand!

    • Same. They sent me a survey for owning my 3 for so long. In the survey I pretty much gave the car good reviews. Then it asked me if I would buy another and pretty much stated I would not buy another tesla if Elon musk is part of the company. I doubt anyone reads the surveys but hey here’s to hoping. 🗿

      • Bio bronk
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        1013 days ago

        You’ve contributed to the word cloud, thats all you need

    • @GaMEChld@lemmy.world
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      1313 days ago

      Good choice? They keep bait and switching their own features, and their QC is garbage. Take Elon out of the equation and I still won’t buy their early access version of a car. I’m tired of companies treating end consumers as their play testers.

      • Definetely weird.
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        513 days ago

        Someone already did the math and the rolling garbage can is even worst than the infamous Pinto.

  • zqps
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    3014 days ago

    The workers, who are paid hourly, were told they could either take paid time off or come in for cleaning and training but would not be working on the production line.

    I mean, you’d be stupid to not come in, right? Who wants an involuntary unpaid vacation?

    • @P00ptart@lemmy.world
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      1414 days ago

      I’ve done it before. When we were working 64 hour weeks? Fuck yeah I’m taking that time off. It also said they could use PTO. The thing is, everywhere I’ve ever worked, there was never just “one week” of it off. It’s like one week every 4-6 weeks as it’s slowing down. Hell, I’m on one now. It’s basically to avoid layoffs and losing experienced workers.

      Also, when you get a week off like that, it’s considered a layoff. So you can apply for unemployment for that time. If you keep calling in and reporting your working hours during the time that you’re back, you don’t have to refile for the next time it happens. Which will happen again in a couple weeks/months. The weird thing to me is that this is being reported on. It happens all the time, it could be for inventory adjustment, or because they’re having problems procuring parts due to tariffs. Or retooling/maintenance.

      My point is, this doesn’t mean a whole lot as of yet. If it happens several more times over the coming months, then that means something. Especially since the stock isn’t going down like it was.

      • @tal@lemmy.today
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        14 days ago

        Tesla told Austin workers on its Model Y and Cybertruck lines to stay home for the week of Memorial Day, three workers told Business Insider.

        Setting aside the Musk/Trump shennanigans and their impact on the Tesla brand as a whole, though…they’re also talking about the Cybertruck.

        I can believe that maybe they keep demand for the Model Y at a sustained long-term level, but I have a hard time believing that the Cybertruck is going to take off. I mean, if there’s enough commonality across lines, then maybe they can use the Cybertruck workers elsewhere, but I just don’t think that the Cybertruck is going to become a big success.

        Like, at some point, they gotta cut their losses on that thing.

        https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/tesla-cybertruck-sales-musk-b2746688.html

        Tesla Cybertruck sales underperformed in Q1, dropping more than 50 percent compared to sales in Q4 of 2024, reflecting a larger theme for the electric vehicle maker, which has faced market volatility and decreasing sales as its CEO has taken a role in the Trump administration.

        In the last quarter, Tesla sold roughly 6,400 Cybertrucks – more than double the number from the same time last year but significantly fewer than the 12,900 sold in the final quarter of 2024, according to research firm Cox Automotive.

        It’s the second consecutive quarter Tesla has seen a dip in Cybertruck sales. Sales peaked during Q3 of 2024 with roughly 16,600 sold.

        The Cybertruck was introduced to the electric vehicle market in 2023, and at the time, Musk touted that more than one million people had paid a $100 refundable deposit to reserve one.

        It also dropped production targets for several Cybertruck lines over the last few months, workers familiar with the matter told Business Insider. Production lines have reportedly also been thinned out; now, some are said to be working at a fraction of their previous capacity.

        • @P00ptart@lemmy.world
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          414 days ago

          None of that surprises me. The cyber truck is a flop so it makes sense to “inventory adjust” a week for them. And you can likely expect that trend to continue. Nice of them to give time off for their workers to enjoy the spring weather, right? 😉

          The model Y just got a facelift, though. And whenever that happens, there are hiccups. That being said, you would think production would be going full bore for it from generated excitement from the refresh.They could have found a flaw that stopped production while they fix the issue, or it could be that the excitement that they expected isn’t there. Knowing Tesla, it’s likely both.

    • lazynooblet
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      13 days ago

      What you quoted says “paid time off”

      Edit: TIL that PTO means different in the US. Thanks for the explanations and downvotes 👍

      • @shottymcb@lemm.ee
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        313 days ago

        Paid time off (PTO) is what American companies call paid vacation because they don’t offer paid sick leave. You have to use vacation time if you want to get paid for a sick Day

        • Lit
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          213 days ago

          so it is better to come in sick to spread germs?

    • @NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world
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      13 days ago

      I frequently took unpaid time off at my jobs as I used all my paid time off for various vacations.

      Tesla might not accommodate such requests though, so a sudden week off might be something someone would jump at for a last minute vacation.

      • zqps
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        113 days ago

        Choosing to do so at a time convenient to you is something I can understand. For the benefit of your employer, no.

        • Well if you decide you wanna do something it’s not at their benefit anymore.

          For the vast majority of people, coming in for the paid training/cleaning is the right choice.

    • @frunch@lemmy.world
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      313 days ago

      Think of all the lives that will be spared because Leon never got the chance to implement his shitty FSD that he kept dangling in everyone’s faces

      • @bradorsomething@ttrpg.network
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        13 days ago

        It’s not paid time off.

        Edit: I used to work a salary position in Texas. On slow days it was common to tell the hourly employees we had nothing for them right now and to go home. The salary employees always had something to do.

        • @Bartsbigbugbag@lemmy.ml
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          413 days ago

          They can “take” paid time off, meaning their few vacation days being used because of the failure of the company. Or they can come in to clean lmao.

  • @kreskin@lemmy.world
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    14 days ago

    Looks like they arent paying their workers for the time either. Sounds like things are going really well there. I wonder if the workers who fall below 32 hours per week will get their full time benefits (like health care) cut. I’d bet yes.

    • lazynooblet
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      13 days ago

      The article says it is paid…

      Edit: TIL that PTO means different in the US. Thanks for the explanations and downvotes 👍

      • Billiam
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        14 days ago

        The workers, who are paid hourly, were told they could either take paid time off or come in for cleaning and training but would not be working on the production line.

        That wording is ambiguous, but given the alternative is “come in and do cleaning” my guess is “take paid time off” means workers have to burn their own vacation time if they don’t want to lose money. Otherwise, who in their right mind would volunteer to work if the company is offering paid furlough?

        • Avid Amoeba
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          1414 days ago

          Yeah they’re not getting paid. I’ve been in a similar situation.

          • Billiam
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            1114 days ago

            Also “give my employees paid time at home while business is slow” sounds exactly like the kind of magnanimity that Elon lacks.

            • @barneypiccolo@lemm.ee
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              413 days ago

              Yeah, he’s not going to let those lazy workers get paid for just sitting around at home, even if this whole debacle is entirely his fault.

      • @tal@lemmy.today
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        714 days ago

        The article says it is paid…

        Well, yes and no. I mean, they get a paycheck if they use paid time off, but they’d need to use some of their supply of that, which is going to compete with things like time off for being sick, going on vacation, etc.

        • @kameecoding@lemmy.world
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          913 days ago

          Imagine having a set number of days for being sick…

          Better not get sick more than usual or you fucked, what a country, the american dream

      • @leadore@lemmy.world
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        513 days ago

        Take paid time off (PTO) means take your vacation time (or combined vacation/sick time). Otherwise no one would pick the “come in and clean or train” option.

        I once worked at a place where every year they shut down the week between Christmas and New Year’s and you had to take a week of your vacation time then whether you wanted to or not (and we only got 2 weeks/yr). I started working there the first week of December, so I was immediately in the hole for 1 week of vacation time. It was such bullshit.

        • @AA5B@lemmy.world
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          213 days ago

          It could be worse, it could be the opposite. My brothers company does plant shutdowns in December and January, partly because too many people want off to keep the lines moving. However that’s also when they do maintenance, when they update the lines for new products, which my brothers company does does.

          So, is it better to have forced vacation in December and January so the plant can shut down, or mandatory work Christmas week and Fourth of July week because you’re the guy updating the lines?

        • @NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world
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          13 days ago

          Everyone that owns a S&P500 index or other similar ones owns Tesla shares. All pensions will own some amount. Collectively these pensions probably have 10s of billions or more in Tesla.

            • @NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world
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              13 days ago

              It kinda is to be honest… The magnificent 7 as they call it, dominate the S&P500. I don’t have today’s figures, but recently it’s been as much as 30% of the index.

              Any falter in big tech, or even one of these individual companies like Tesla, can have a huge impact on peoples pensions.

              Edit: I guess if you still wanted to invest in something like this as a pension, but wanted to avoid a specific company, you could find a way to hedge against them to make it neutral. I don’t know if any do that though.

    • @jj4211@lemmy.world
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      313 days ago

      The good time to sell was December…

      Suppose it’s now a “less bad” time than it’s probably going to get.

    • Chozo
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      3614 days ago

      The job market in Austin is shit right now. Anybody with a soul at Tesla likely can’t afford to go job-hunting right now.

      • Billiam
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        514 days ago

        It sounds like they may not have a choice in that matter soon enough.

      • Lit
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        213 days ago

        I always start job hunting the day I start any new job. Don’t be loyal to your employer because they will never be loyal to you.

    • @mic_check_one_two@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      14 days ago

      They should all immediately go file for unemployment tbh. Even if it’s just for that week, it’s considered a layoff and they can file. It means they’ll be able to start collecting unemployment a week earlier than they would if they wait for the actual “you’re fired” message.