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A Norwegian investment group with ties to Tesla is pressing the electric vehicle company to come to the bargaining table in Sweden, where unionized mechanics have been on strike since October. 

On Tuesday, KLP, Norway’s largest pension fund, said it would support the proposal of several other Tesla investment groups calling on the company to adopt a collective bargaining policy. 

The proposal, requesting that the company uphold labor rights, is one of many on the docket at Tesla’s June 13 shareholder meeting. 



KLP reportedly owns 900,000 Tesla shares, accounting for a 0.02% stake in the EV company.

The increased support for the proposal could have dramatic consequences for Tesla, which has been against labor organizations at any of its facilities. 

The Scandinavian labor battle began in the fall when a handful of Tesla mechanics in Sweden voted to unionize under IF Metall. After Tesla refused to collectively bargain with the newly formed union, the workers took to the picket lines. 

A deluge of sympathy strikes soon followed in Sweden and the rest of the region, with transport, waste, dock and mail workers refusing to service Tesla. 

Despite the widespread strikes, Tesla has avoided any significant economic fallout, hiring replacement workers and finding ways to deliver vehicles to customers without the help of unionized labor. 

However, the collective bargaining proposal on the agenda this month could bring the issue across the Atlantic and force Tesla leadership to deal with the labor struggles. 

On top of signaling its support for the bargaining proposal, KLP announced it will vote against the reincorporation of Tesla to Texas and the record $56 billion pay package for CEO Elon Musk. Shareholders will begin voting on all three proposals this month ahead of the shareholder meeting next week.

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