Black employees at Tesla raise new allegations of racism in the workplace

Accusations of workplace racism against Tesla aren’t going away anytime soon.

Less than two months after California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing filed a massive lawsuit that accused the company of creating a “hostile work environment” for Black employees, more testimony about the company’s allegedly toxic work culture has emerged.

The Los Angeles Times published a lengthy report that includes direct testimony from multiple Black ex-employees detailing the way they were treated at the company’s Fremont, Calif. factory. The long read is well worth your time.

Fair warning, though: The accusations outlined in the piece are often disturbing. They include several instances of racial slurs being directed at Black employees, as well as Black employees repeatedly being given more tedious and more difficult work than their non-Black co-workers. Some were paid less than $20/hour to work 12-hour shifts at least six days a week, with Black workers allegedly being grouped together in parts of the factory with no air conditioning.

One of the former Tesla workers even said Black employees were forced out of view when CEO Elon Musk made visits to the factory. And when attempts were made to report discriminatory treatment through the proper company channels, some of those who filed complaints were fired not long after, according to the interviews.

This reporting comes after a San Francisco court found in Oct. 2021 that Tesla had subjected one Black employee to unfair racial treatment and had not done enough to stop it. Ultimately, Tesla had to pay nearly $140 million in a settlement. It’s also worth noting that the company has something of an anti-union streak going back to at least 2018.

However this current lawsuit goes, don’t be surprised if more and more allegations like this pop up in the future.