The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is taking legal action against Elon Musk’s Tesla for alleged “widespread and ongoing racial harassment of its Black employees” and retaliation against those who speak up. The federal lawsuit, filed on Thursday and reported by the Wall Street Journal, claims that racial misconduct at Tesla’s factory in Fremont, California has been occurring since at least 2015, with incidents happening frequently and across all shifts, departments, and positions. This lawsuit echoes a previous one filed in California by the Department of Fair Employment and Housing, as well as a suit from Owen Diaz, a Black contractor who worked at the plant in 2015. Diaz was initially awarded $137 million in damages, but the amount was later reduced to over $3 million in April.
EEOC Chair Charlotte A. Burrows stated on Thursday that “no worker should endure the kind of shameful racial bigotry our investigation revealed.” The EEOC, responsible for enforcing civil rights protections for workers, alleges that Tesla violated federal law by allowing workers to openly use slurs and epithets in high-traffic areas. The agency also claims that Black employees at Tesla regularly encountered racist graffiti and that the company failed to address the issue, even firing or transferring employees who reported or opposed the harassment. The EEOC is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, back pay for affected workers, and injunctive relief to reform Tesla’s employment practices. In response to previous lawsuits, Tesla has said that it opposes discrimination and harassment and has a record of disciplining and firing employees who engage in racial harassment. It should be noted that federal prosecutors are separately investigating whether Tesla failed to report personal benefits to Musk.
Initially, the EEOC sought a settlement before litigation. However, Tesla’s conciliation process ultimately failed. CNBC reports that the EEOC now aims to obtain compensatory and punitive damages, back pay for affected workers, and injunctive relief to reform Tesla’s employment practices and prevent future discrimination. Tesla has previously stated its opposition to discrimination and harassment and claimed a track record of disciplining and firing employees engaged in racial harassment. It is important to mention that federal prosecutors are conducting a separate investigation into Tesla’s potential failure to report personal benefits to Musk.
Denial of responsibility! Vigour Times is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
