US Sues Tesla Over Abuse Against Black Workers

A government anti-discrimination agency in the United States is taking legal action against Elon Musk’s Tesla, accusing the company of allowing the “pervasive racial harassment” of Black workers at its flagship California car factory, and taking retaliatory action against those who complained.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a federal body, said Black workers had routinely endured stereotyping, racial insults, and hostility since at least 2015.

The court action, which follows a breakdown in mediation, adds federal charges to discrimination claims already filed by the state of California, lawsuits by individual Tesla employees, and a class action suit involving about 240 workers.

The electric car company “subjected Black employees at its manufacturing facilities in Fremont, California … to severe or pervasive racial harassment and created and maintained a hostile work environment because of their race,” the lawsuit said.

The racial misconduct was frequent, ongoing, inappropriate, unwelcome and occurred across all shifts, departments, and positions,” the commission said.

Black workers routinely endured racist slurs including variations of the “N-word,” along with “monkey” and “boy”.

According to the legal documents, Tesla supervisors and managers witnessed racial abuses but did not intervene, and Tesla failed to take steps to address the misconduct.

Aljazeera