Major Unions, Progressive Groups Launch Public Accountability Campaign Targeting Tesla Over Musk Pay

AFT, CWA, Public Citizen Among Groups Organizing Millions of Members in Opposition to Musk’s Proposed $1 Trillion Pay Package

Coalition Unveils Website Enabling Workers, Investors, and Consumers to Pressure Institutional Shareholders Directly

October 22, 2025 — A coalition of major labor unions and progressive advocacy organizations launched a coordinated public campaign on Tuesday to mobilize Tesla workers, investors, and consumers to demand accountability from Elon Musk and Tesla's Board of Directors ahead of the company's November 6 shareholder meeting.

The coalition—which includes the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Communications Workers of America (CWA), Stop the Money Pipeline, Public Citizen, People’s Action Institute, Ekō, Americans for Financial Reform, and several other groups—unveiled a new website that enables members of the public to directly pressure state pension funds and major mutual fund managers like Vanguard and Fidelity to vote against Musk's proposed compensation package and to oppose Tesla Board of Directors nominees who have failed to hold Musk accountable. Users can then contact their personal investment managers—such as 401(k) or IRA account managers—to urge them to use their significant Tesla shareholdings to demand corporate accountability.

The campaign comes as Tesla shareholders prepare to vote on a new pay package for Musk that could be worth up to $1 trillion over 10 years—more than 2,000 times Nvidia's CEO compensation and about 10x more than the CEOs of every S&P 500 company combined. The proposal follows a Delaware judge's invalidation of Musk's previous $56 billion package, called “an unfathomable sum.” The coalition argues the package is unprecedented and unnecessary—and would reward Musk with unprecedented compensation even if he mostly fails to deliver on the plan’s benchmarks.

“The Tesla board, instead of upholding basic governance standards, wants to green light an outrageous $1 trillion pay package for a CEO who has spent most of the year engaged in childish political brawls, rather than working to create shareholder value,” said American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten. “To reward this destructive behavior with an obscene salary is a slap in the face—not only to the federal workers he’s fired, but to the retirees whose pensions are invested in Tesla stock. We urge shareholders to join with us and demand their state pension officials reject Musk’s money grab and confiscate the Tesla board’s rubber stamp.”

“Elon Musk is enriching himself by stealing from the American worker—from our infrastructure dollars for rural broadband to workers' private data from the Department of Labor—and now he wants to steal $1 trillion from our pensions and retirement accounts. Shareholders, unions and working people must all stand together to stop Musk's corporate heist,” said Communications Workers of America President Claude Cummings Jr.

“Tesla shareholders can either check Musk’s corporate power grab, or vote to grant him more and more power. How shareholders vote on Musk's trillion-dollar pay package and other important Tesla ballot items will likely set the stage for similar attempts by other oligarchs to consolidate their own power,” said Natalia Renta, Americans for Financial Reform Associate Director of Corporate Governance and Power. “This new website allows people to get their voices heard by sending letters to their state financial officer and mutual fund manager (if they have one).”

“No CEO is worth a trillion dollar pay package, but especially not Elon Musk, who has wiped billions off of Tesla’s share value, trashed the company’s reputation and driven millions of its customers away. Tesla’s shareholders need to show the judgment Musk so clearly lacks, and reject this pay deal,” said Ekō Executive Director Emma Ruby-Sachs.

“In the last twelve months, Elon Musk’s attempts to destroy the American government have caused huge damage to the Tesla brand and contributed to a significant decline in the company’s sales in multiple key markets,” said Stop the Money Pipeline Coalition Director Alex Connon. “Now the Tesla Board wants to reward Musk with what could be the largest pay package received by any executive, ever. Tesla shareholders should reject this insane proposal.”

As Tesla's shareholder meeting on November 6 approaches, the campaign builds on growing pushback from state financial officers over Musk's leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and Musk's divided focus between Tesla and his numerous other business and political activities.

Organizers are urging institutional shareholders to oppose excessive CEO compensation and demand that any proposed pay package for Musk be reasonable and rationally benchmarked to the compensation of CEOs at other similarly sized companies. The groups are also calling for opposition to the election of any Tesla Board of Directors members who do not demonstrate appropriate independence from the CEO and adherence to corporate governance best practices.

For more information, visit takebacktesla.com. To request an interview with the campaign’s organizers, please email info@srresponse.org.