A new lawsuit is accusing Tesla of nearly a decade of discrimination and unjust treatment toward its Black employees.
According to Forbes, the automobile manufacturer is being sued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for allowing “widespread and ongoing racial harassment of its Black employees.”
The Claims
What’s more, the suit says the company also retaliated against employees who have spoken out against Tesla or rejected the alleged treatment.
Further details suggest that — from 2015 to now — Black workers at the Fremont, CA, manufacturing plant for the electronic vehicle company have “endured racial abuse, pervasive stereotyping and hostility.”
The court documents allege that Tesla was aware of the racial harassment, but instead chose to ignore the complaints while they also “failed and refused to take steps to address” the situations at hand.
Among the alleged emotional abuse, the EEOC claims that Black Tesla employees were also met with racial slurs and “encountered graffiti with swastikas, threats, and nooses,” all while on the job.
Per the filing, anyone who rejected the alleged behavior was either terminated or transferred. Additionally, the employees’ duties performed at work changed abruptly.
“The racial misconduct was frequent, ongoing, inappropriate, unwelcome and occurred across all shifts, departments, and positions,” the lawsuit claims.
The EEOC looks to receive back pay for the workers affected by the claims of the suit as well as compensatory and punitive damages. The agency is also looking for the court to order Tesla to change its employment practices as a preventative measure for future workers.
As of this writing, the Elon Musk-led company has yet to publicly responded to the EEOC suit.
