Lawsuit Alleges Calif. Tesla Factory is a 'Hotbed For Racist Behavior'
- by Shawn Tate
- in Economy
- — Nov 15, 2017
The company is also taking heat from the United Auto Workers union, which filed a federal complaint last month claiming Tesla fired factory workers who were trying to unionize.
Another former Tesla employee is seeking permission from a judge to sue Tesla for racial harassment on behalf of over 100 affected African-American workers, according to a report from Bloomberg Technology.
This is the third lawsuit filed against Tesla this year for racist treatment of black workers and subsequent negligence by the company, per Business Insider.
Compounding matters for Tesla, a New Yorker piece on Monday featured a former female employee who said she didn't receive a promotion due to gender discrimination.
"Although Tesla stands out as a groundbreaking company at the forefront of the electric auto revolution, its standard operating procedure at the Tesla factory is pre-civil rights era race discrimination", the employees said in the complaint filed Monday in California's Alameda County Superior Court.
A former Tesla worker is suing the vehicle company, alleging he was called the n-word and describing the Northern California factory as a "hotbed for racist behavior". According to Vaugh, this came after he filed a complaint to human resources and Musk about Tesla employees repeatedly using racial epithets around him and his black co-workers in the plant.
Vaughn, who worked began working Tesla in April, said he was terminated in late October for "not having a positive attitude". It is the first such suit to seek class-action status.
"Although Tesla stands out as a groundbreaking company at the forefront of the electric vehicle revolution, its standard operating procedure at the Tesla factory is pre-Civil Rights era race discrimination", Vaughn's complaint said.
Vaughn's complaint also quotes allegedly features a letter from CEO Elon Musk, where he tells his employees to be "thick-skinned and accept that apology".
Tesla responded to the lawsuit by saying that it takes 'any and every form of discrimination or harassment extremely seriously'.
Owen Diaz and his son, Demetric, left to right, talk about their lawsuit against Tesla at their attorney's office in Oakland, California, on Thursday, 21 September, 2017.
"In fairness, if someone is a jerk to you, but sincerely apologizes, it is important to be thick-skinned and accept that apology", Tesla's C.E.O wrote in an email. The lawsuit alleges no one from the company followed up with Vaughn about his complaint, nor did they investigate his claims.
Tesla has denied those claims as well.