An agency of California complained against the automaker for racial discrimination at the workplace, denouncing a “hostile environment”.
Le Monde with AFP
“After receiving hundreds of workers’ complaints,” a Californian state agency was responsible for investigating civil cases complained, Wednesday, February 9, against the American automaker. “(…) the DFEH (California Department of Fair Employment and Housing) has found evidence that the Tesla de Fremont factory is a workplace subject to racial segregation, said Kevin Fish, the director of this agency, in a Communiqué. “Black workers [y] undergo racial insults and discrimination in terms of tasks, discipline, remuneration and promotion, which creates a hostile work environment. The facts in this case speak for themselves, “he added.
The DFEH sent out of the complaint from the complaint filed Wednesday afternoon in a California court, while Tesla had already communicated on his proceedings before they were confirmed. “Tesla strongly opposes any form of discrimination and harassment and has a team devolved to employee relations to respond and investigate all complaints,” said the group in a statement, which mentions a three-year investigation. on facts that have been supplied in the Fremont plant between 2015 and 2019.
“All day, every day, black or African-American employees hear racial insults on black workers, from other employees, leaders and managers,” the complaint is a complaint. It cites many examples of rare verbal violence, including the “N-Word” [the word that starts with N], for “Nigger” (“Negro”), a term proscribed for white people in the United States .
“Generalized racial harassment”
“As the factory is racially segregated, the factory employees called areas where many African Americans worked the” porch monkey station “[that can be translated by” the monkeys area that do not do anything “], mentions the complaint. An employee agreed by collaborators and chiefs” closes your mouth “and” all blacks are alike, “continued the lawyers. A black worker heard this kind of insults up to 50 to 100 times a day. “
The complaint emphasizes that black employees were assigned to physically more difficult tasks than others in Tesla factories, which they were more easily dismissed for minor offenses and much less frequently promoted. “For many black workers, the stress of widespread racial harassment, the risk of physical altercations with stalkers, flagrant discrimination, disproportionate discipline and inaction in the event of a complaint have made their working conditions so intolerable. have resigned, “says the complaint.
Several employees of ELON Musk’s billionaire-led group filed complaints in recent months to report cases of sexual harassment or racial discrimination within the company.
In October, a Californian jury sentenced Tesla to pay $ 137 million (approximately 118 million euros) of damages to a former black employee for closing his eyes on the racism he suffered in that same group factory.
“Tesla has always taken disciplinary actions and licensed by professional misconduct, including those who uttered racial insults or harassing others in different ways,” said the group in his communiqué on Wednesday, which also mentions his team. in charge of diversity, fairness and inclusion. The company intends to ask the Tribunal to suspend the prosecution to ensure that all the facts and evidence is taken into account. The car manufacturer, which also insists that it is the last still installed in California, says regret that the DFEH did not send him the details of the charges on which his prosecutions rely.