Amid Poor Sales, Tesla Is Being Sued Again For Alleged Racism Against Black Workers

Troubles are far from over for Elon Musk's Tesla. Another gender discrimination case has been filed against Tesla after dozens of current and former workers claimed the electric car company routinely engages in racial discrimination in an environment that dates back to the "pre-Civil Rights" era.

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According to the mass-action lawsuit filed in California's Alameda Superior Court, the plaintiffs were allegedly the targets of racial harassment and intimidation in Tesla plants that were turned into racially unfriendly workplaces.

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The electronics company Tesla is named in the case, along with managers and supervisors who are accused of continuously fostering racism and prejudice at Tesla.

"It's hard to imagine a workplace culture that these hard-working people had to endure daily, having to live through racist comments and abusive behavior," said attorney Mike Arias. "Hearing story after story of employees being subjected to this level of disgusting and threatening behavior and language is still almost unbelievable.," Arias said in a statement.

African American and Hispanic employees are allegedly subjected to offensive, racist comments and behavior regularly by colleagues, managers, supervisors, and even HR employees.

Photo by John Cameron on Unsplash

The complaint included allegations of offensive and derogatory behavior and language that people of color were forced to endure while working for Tesla.

"These employees simply wanted to put in an honest day's work for an honest day's pay, and instead, they were treated horribly by co-workers, supervisors, and even HR representatives," said attorney Sahar Malek. "This can't go ignored."

Is Tesla a perpetual offender?

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In a lawsuit against Tesla earlier this year, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) charged the company's Fremont factory is a "racially segregated environment where black workers are subjected to racial slurs and discrimination."

Tesla is also under investigation by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

Last year, a black employee was awarded a reduced payout of $15 million in a case against Tesla for not doing enough to prevent racial discrimination.

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The new lawsuit comes as Tesla saw an 18 percent drop in EV deliveries in the second quarter (Q2) of this year amid supply chain woes and China lockdowns.

This is the first time Tesla deliveries have fallen quarter over quarter in two years.

(With agency inputs)

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