On Thursday, fifteen Black former or present Tesla employees filed a complaint against the electric-car company, alleging racial discrimination and harassment at its plants.
According to the lawsuit filed in a California state court, the workers claimed that they were subjected to offensive, racist statements and actions regularly by coworkers, managers, and human resources officials.
The harassment included using the terms “nigger,” “slavery,” or “plantation” or making sexual comments such as “likes booty,” according to the lawsuit, which added that Tesla’s “standard operating procedures contain brazen, open, and unmitigated race discrimination.”
According to the lawsuit, some plaintiffs were allocated to the most physically demanding positions at Tesla or transferred.
Montieco Justice, a manufacturing associate at Tesla’s Fremont facility, was instantly demoted after returning to Tesla after taking an authorized leave of absence due to contracting COVID-19, according to the claim.
At least ten complaints have been filed against the automaker, alleging blatant race discrimination or sexual harassment, including one filed by a California civil rights agency.
The EV manufacturer has not responded to the request for comment. However, it previously denied any wrongdoing and stated that it has systems to prevent and resolve workplace misconduct.
After turning down a $15 million award, a federal court in California ordered a second trial on the damages Tesla owes to a Black former factory worker who accused the firm of race discrimination.
This is just one of many legal actions brought against Tesla for harassment and discrimination at work. For example, a Black former elevator operator sued Tesla last year, alleging that the firm did not do enough to prevent racial discrimination; he was awarded a $15 million reduced settlement. In addition, the business allegedly paid an employee who claimed it did nothing when his supervisor made a racist remark $1 million.
This month, a Tesla shareholder sued CEO Elon Musk and the company’s board of directors, accusing them of ignoring worker complaints and promoting a hostile workplace environment.
