Tesla Workers Get More Bad News in Buffalo, New York

Two weeks after Tesla announced a 10% reduction in the company’s global workforce, another 26 employees learned they’d be out of a job soon.

In total, 311 people will lose their jobs at the Riverbend facility in South Buffalo by July.

This is the second Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notice (WARN) filed by Tesla in New York State in as many months and at least the third since the beginning of 2023.

None of these cuts are mentioned on Tesla’s website or in the company’s news section, where the latest release is about a new feature package option for one of the company’s very expensive vehicles.

The affected workers are part of the company’s Supercharger team, according to a letter reportedly sent to Tesla employees by CEO Elon Musk. All 500 members of the team nationally learned they will lose their jobs.

READ MORE: Do Layoffs Have to Be Reported Beforehand in New York?

The reason given for the latest round of layoffs, according to the WARN filing, is simply stated as “Economic.” Tesla lists a total of 2,025 employees at the site, but it was not immediately clear whether that was the current number or the remaining total after these latest layoffs will take effect, starting July 30. The WARN letter does state that these employees were not represented by a union, something the company has seemingly taken action to prevent from forming at the plant.

Tesla has management and ownership of the building, which was built by New York State and opened in 2017, but must maintain a workforce of at least 1,460 jobs within the location to continue operating at the facility and to receive tax credits and other incentives, at least until 2027. The company leases the building from the state for $1 per year until that time.