According to the Wall Street Journal, a California civil rights agency has filed a lawsuit against Tesla’s Fremont factory for alleged racial discrimination and harassment.
After receiving complaints from hundreds of workers, DFEH has found evidence that Tesla’s Fremont factory was a segregated workplace, Kevin Kish, director of the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH), said in a statement.
Black employees are often subject to racial slurs and harassment, with one worker saying they hear such slurs 50 to 100 times a day, the DFEH said. “Black workers are racially discriminated against in job assignments, discipline, pay and promotion, creating a hostile work environment,” Kish said.
In a blog post, Tesla called the lawsuit unfair and ineffective. Tesla strongly opposes all forms of discrimination and harassment and has a dedicated employee relations team responsible for responding to and investigating all complaints, the company wrote.
Tesla is also the last automaker in California. The Fremont factory has a majority workforce, providing more than 30,000 Californians with some of the highest-paying jobs in the auto industry.” It also said that over the past five years, DFEH’s previous More than 50 investigations have been concluded and no wrongdoing has been found.
Last October, Tesla was ordered to pay $137 million in compensation to a former black worker who accused Tesla of turning a blind eye to discrimination and racial abuse in 2015 and 2016.
Tesla disagreed with the verdict, with a spokesman saying the company “wasn’t perfect at the time” but had “come a long way” since then. Tesla recently moved its corporate headquarters from California to Texas but has also said it will expand its manufacturing activities in California by 50%.