In an effort to suppress their campaign, a group of Tesla employees in the state of New York claim the company fired more than 30 employees.
Organizers in Buffalo claim that the staff members were fired one day after the union made its efforts public.
Arian Berek, a dismissed member of the organizing committee, said, "I strongly feel that this is in retaliation to the committee announcement and it's shameful.".
Requests for comment from Tesla were not answered.
Elon Musk, a billionaire who has previously been outspoken about his opposition to unions, is the head of the electric vehicle company.
The union cited 18 people in its complaint to government labor officials who it claimed were fired by the business "in retaliation for union activity and to discourage union activity.".
Organisers claimed that they believed more people had been fired based on a company chat and that they anticipated adding names to the complaint. They claimed that they were still verifying how many of those fired had actively participated in the campaign or had only expressed support.
According to organizers from Tesla Workers United, which is supported by the same union that started organizing efforts at Starbucks, the Buffalo facility employs about 2,000 people.
The group is currently lobbying Buffalo Tesla employees to support holding a vote on unionization. It outlined its plans in a letter to the company on Tuesday, requesting that the executives accept the ground rules for a "fair" election.
A day later, according to the campaigners, Tesla let go of more than 30 employees and informed staff via email that it has a policy against recording business conversations without everyone's permission.
The rule, according to the organizers, was against both federal and state laws.
The National Labor Relations Board previously determined that Tesla broke labor laws when it attempted to organize at its California auto manufacturing facility.
"We're furious. We won't be hindered by this. This will not deter us. They want us to be terrified, but I believe they've just started a stampede, said Sara Costantino, a member of the organizing committee and current Tesla employee.
