Tesla recently posted about the details of the DFEH lawsuit against the company alleging “systematic racial discrimination and harassment”. In that article, Tesla argued that the case took place between 2015 and 2019 and stated that NFEH didn’t legally go through a lawsuit. However, now as the documents are made public, more details are shed into the light. DFEH has 50 former employees who claim that there were racist comments passed while working in the Fermont factory. They also stated that black members are less likely to be promoted.
According to the document, the lawsuit claims are as follows. “Throughout the day, every day, Black and/or African American workers heard Defendants’ workers, leads, supervisors, and managers make racial slurs and comments about Black workers. Examples of racist language include the n-word, “porch monkey,” “monkey toes,” “boy,” “hood rats,” and “horsehair.” Defendants’ workers, including production leads and supervisors, made references to Black and/or African Americans in racist comments and racist jokes such as “N[ ] word out of the hood,” “from the ghetto,” “Tesla [was] hiring lazy coons,” and “go back to Africa.”
Other things also included things like the defendant’s workers’ areas as “porch monkey station”. Also, certain racial slurs were also dispensed in Spanish like “mayate” and “negrita”. Many black workers understood the references and terms on how they are being treated. According to the claims mentioned in the document, these slurs are being used 50-100 times a day in the factory.
Addressing the claims
Meanwhile, Tesla stated the lawsuit was something minor. As DFEH went straight to a lawsuit, the agency denies it and said that the complaints and the company were at mediation.
There are some serious things mentioned in the document which came into the limelight recently. Harassment and discrimination were mentioned. Whether this was true or not is yet to be investigated. However, this lawsuit is much bigger than stated by Tesla in its article.
“After approximately three years of investigation, receiving hundreds of complaints from workers, and serving many to Tesla, DFEH issued a cause finding on January 3, 2022. In the course of DFEH’s investigation, DFEH found evidence that Defendants subjected its Black and/or African American workers to racial harassment and discriminated against them in the terms and conditions of employment, including assignment, discipline, promotion, termination, and constructive discharge. DFEH’s investigation also found that Defendants retaliated against its Black and/or African American workers when they complained or reported the harassment or discrimination.”
Below is the document as posted by Electrek.
