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What I’ve Been Reading This Week


For those looking for Elon Musk news, you are in luck!  No, I am not talking about his proposed acquisition of Twitter or the will he/won’t he take SpaceX public debate.  Rather, for purposes of this post, I wanted to highlight his recent announcement as it pertains to Tesla workers working remotely.

As always, below are a couple articles that caught my eye this week.


Tesla Moves to Bring All Workers Back to the Office

Kara Carlson over at The Austin American-Statesman reported on Wednesday that Tesla has recently instructed its employees to make plans to return to the office full time or work for a different employer.  This is a somewhat odd decision for Tesla to make, given that many employers (including those in tech) have either allowed employees to continue work remote for the foreseeable future or have enacted some sort of hybrid setup.  Tesla has chosen to go the opposite direction by requiring its workers to be in a Tesla office for at least 40 hours per week.  The directive, which came from Elon Musk, is apparently aimed at keeping employees engaged as Musk himself has stated that Tesla would have not bankrupt if he had not been a visible presence in the workplace. 


Third Circuit Holds “Back to the Salt Mine” Comment Does NOT Violate Employees’ Labor Rights

On May 20th, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals considered whether the head of the Federalist, a media company, violated employees’ labor rights by jokingly tweeting to send employees “back to the sale mine” if they formed a union.  I refer readers to the full opinion for a more in depth discussion but in relevant part, the Court overruled the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) and held that no labor rights were violated because the NLRB did not consider the context in which the comment were made as well as how the employees received the comment.  There is a lot to unpack in the opinion and one I would suggest readers review when they have a minute.


White House Interns to Be Paid Beginning Fall 2022

As reported by The Washington Post, this fall, interns at the White House will begin to be paid - $750 at the outset of the internship and an additional $750 at the end of the internship.  For those interns that do not complete the 14 week internship, they will be expected to repay an amount equal to the uncompleted time.  This apparently will mark the first time in decades that White House interns will be paid.  Notably, there will be no relocation or living expenses provided. 

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