Name: Joe Biden’s push for clean-energy union jobs could force showdown with Elon Musk
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Joe Biden’s push for clean-energy union jobs could force showdown with Elon Musk

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Photo illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios. Photo: Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images, Joshua Roberts/Getty ImagesJoe Biden wants to go big on climate change and big on unions. Elon Musk leads on the former but lags on the latter.Why it matters: Musk isn’t uniquely averse to unions, but Tesla is considered a leader on the type of new technologies needed to tackle climate change. Musk’s leadership ethos could be in the crosshairs if Biden becomes president and follows through on his campaign vows.Catch up fast: Biden’s calls for renewable energy to largely replace oil, natural gas and coal and for a huge buildout of electric vehicles. He is also pushing for these clean-energy industries , which they largely have not.Where it stands:An administrative law judge that Tesla and Musk broke federal labor laws during a series of actions by company officials and by Musk in 2017 and 2018 as workers were trying to form a union.The big picture: Tesla falls somewhere between automaker and tech company, but Musk is a classic Silicon Valley CEO, most of whom generally eschew unions. America’s three major automakers — General Motors, Ford and Chrysler — all have unions. Foreign automakers with less history in the U.S. don’t have unions here, and neither do tech companies.For the record: Tesla’s press department didn't respond to multiple requests for comment.The intrigue: Experts following Tesla say the firm is missing an opportunity to lead not only on climate, but on worker rights too.“They would be a better company and a more successful company if they decided to embrace the idea that employees need to have a voice and employees need to be able to participate in the wealth that is created by this innovation.” — Dave Foster, former Energy Department official now working on labor issues at the Energy Futures Initiative How it works: Biden’s climate and energy plan calls for sweeping changes to labor laws, along with aggressive goals to transition away from fossil fuels.What they're saying: “What Biden is suggesting is that you finally have some teeth in U.S. labor laws,” said Richard Bensinger, a former national organizing director of the AFL-CIO.Yes, but: As with most bold campaign promises, this one relies heavily on Congress supporting Biden’s goals. If the Senate remains in Republican control (a prospect that's looking less certain), a lot of what Biden wants won't happen.Go deeper: President Trump is trying to lure Joe Biden into a Walter Mondale trap — attempting to force the Democratic nominee to embrace middle-class tax increases as part of his election strategy.Why it matters: With his Saturday evening executive action to unilaterally rewrite the tax code, Trump again is demonstrating the lengths to which he’ll go to change the conversation — and try to make the election a choice between him and Biden, and not a referendum on him. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 11 a.m. ET: — Total deaths: — Total recoveries — — .U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 11 a.m. ET: — Total deaths: — Total recoveries: — Total tests: — .Business: are more comfortable eating out.Public health: How America can do .Sports: The losing gym class — is on the brink.🎧 Podcast: Indoor air is the .Twitter is the latest to join the cast of the ongoing spectacle that is TikTok’s battle to stay open for business in the U.S., per a new report from the .Why it matters: The saga to keep TikTok available to U.S. users is getting more complicated, with the company already in a and juggling a number of options.

Photo illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios. Photo: Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images, Joshua Roberts/Getty ImagesJoe Biden wants to go big on climate change and big on unions. Elon Musk leads on the former but lags on the latter.Why it matters: Musk isn’t uniquely averse to unions, but Tesla is considered a leader on the type of new technologies needed to tackle climate change. Musk’s leadership ethos could be in the crosshairs if Biden becomes president and follows through on his campaign vows.Catch up fast: Biden’s calls for renewable energy to largely replace oil, natural...

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Joe Biden’s push for clean-energy union jobs could force showdown with Elon Musk

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