Union workers walk out at Tesla gigafactory

Shares in Tesla Motors (NASDAQ:TSLA) rose on Tuesday despite reports of a labor dispute at its so-called ‘Gigafactory’ in the Nevada desert. Hundreds of unionised workers staged a walk off in protest against out-of-state hiring practises, according to reports. Out-of-state workers are being hired and paid less than the union workers in Nevada, the protestors say. The high-profile project is intended to be the world’s largest lithium battery production line, which will provide power-packs for some 500,000 of Tesla’s electric cars per year. Estimates put the project costs in the order of $5bn. It is receiving support from the State of Nevada to the tune of $1bn, and was expected to hire mostly workers from Nevada. Some 350 workers in the major construction project were involved in the protest, according to the reports, and more than 100 people picketed the main gain.