Tesla sued by civil rights agency for operating ‘racially segregated workplace’
Tesla has been sued by a state civil rights agency for operating what it describes as a “racially segregated workplace” in California.
The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) filed the lawsuit late on Wednesday, reports The Wall Street Journal, after the automaker posted a blogpost pre-empting and denying the charges.
DFEH director Kevin Kish said in a statement: “After receiving hundreds of complaints from workers, DFEH found evidence that Tesla’s Fremont factory is a racially segregated workplace where Black workers are subjected to racial slurs and discriminated against in job assignments, discipline, pay, and promotion creating a hostile work environment.”
According to the WSJ, the case against Telsa says Black workers “reported being assigned to more physically demanding roles, being subjected to more severe discipline and being passed over for professional opportunities” at the company’s Fremont factory. Black workers reported hearing supervisors and managers using racial slurs and found racist graffiti in the workplace. DFEH also says Black workers were underrepresented in Tesla’s management. A 2020 diversity report from Tesla said Black workers made up 10 percent of its workforce and 4 percent of its leadership.
Tesla has previously been sued for racial harassment and discrimination at its Fremont factory. In October last year, a judge awarded a Black former employee $137 million in damages after he reported a hostile work environment where he heard “daily racist epithets” including the n-word and was told to “go back to Africa” by colleagues.
In a blogpost preempting this new lawsuit from DFEH, Tesla said it “strongly opposes all forms of discrimination and harassment and has a dedicated Employee Relations team that responds to and investigates all complaints.”
The company also raised its status as “the last remaining automobile manufacturer in California” in the post, and said past DFEH investigations had found no evidence of misconduct at the plant. “Yet, at a time when manufacturing jobs are leaving California, the DFEH has decided to sue Tesla instead of constructively working with us,” said the company. “This is both unfair and counterproductive, especially because the allegations focus on events from years ago.”
Tesla has been sued by a state civil rights agency for operating what it describes as a “racially segregated workplace” in California. The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) filed the lawsuit late on Wednesday, reports The Wall Street Journal, after the automaker posted a blogpost pre-empting and…
Recent Posts
- Google’s making it easier for people with low vision to find objects using their phone
- Ransomware attacks hijack Windows Quick Assist feature
- LG’s $100,000 rollable OLED TV is canceled
- Strava is finally adding Dark Mode, AI analytics, family plans and more
- Strava will add AI, dark mode, and night heatmaps
Archives
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- December 2011