Tesla tells Model Y and Cybertruck workers to stay home for a week

www.businessinsider.com Tesla tells Model Y and Cybertruck workers to stay home for a week

The guidance comes amid a drop in deliveries and after earlier slowdowns of Cybertruck production.

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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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?
- 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.
  
  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.
  
  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.
- And oh yeah, we're not using dollars any more, you get paid in CT's now
- 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.
  
  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.
- What you quoted says "paid time off"
  Edit: TIL that PTO means different in the US. Thanks for the explanations and downvotes 👍
  
  Yes, which likely comes from their annual leave. Otherwise, why offer an alternative?
  
  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
  
  so it is better to come in sick to spread germs?

124 comments