NLRB dismisses complaint against Tesla over Buffalo plant IT policies

On October 28, 2026, a bipartisan three-member panel of the National Labor Relations Board dismissed a complaint against Tesla regarding workplace IT policies at its Buffalo, New York assembly plant. Applying a Trump-era legal standard, the board upheld an October 2024 administrative judge ruling that Tesla's 2023 restrictions—including bans on phone use, unapproved meeting recordings, and document transfers—validly protected confidential information.

NLRB dismisses Buffalo plant complaint

• ▪The National Labor Relations Board complaint against Tesla over its Buffalo, New York plant IT policies was originally issued in 2024 under case number 03–CA–312352.
• ▪The National Labor Relations Board panel decision on October 28, 2026, which included lone Democratic member David Prouty, summarily upheld an October 2024 administrative law judge ruling in favor of Tesla.
• ▪On October 28, 2026, a bipartisan three-member National Labor Relations Board panel dismissed a complaint alleging Tesla used restrictive IT policies to thwart union organizing at its Buffalo, New York plant.

Tesla's IT policies

• ▪Tesla's 2023 workplace technology policies barred workers from possessing phones, recording meetings without participants' knowledge, and downloading or forwarding company documents to personal devices and email accounts.
• ▪An administrative law judge found in October 2024 that Tesla's IT policies validly protected confidential information.

NLRB standards evaluated in Tesla case

• ▪The National Labor Relations Board applied a workplace rules standard established during Donald Trump's first presidential administration to judge Tesla's IT policies legal.
• ▪Workers' union representatives argued the National Labor Relations Board should evaluate Tesla's policies under a Biden-era test that makes challenging workplace rules easier.