Federal agency sues Tesla over severe harassment of Black employees at factory
Published: Sat, 09/30/23
Federal agency sues Tesla over severe harassment of Black employees at factory
The EEOC claims the harassment against Black employees ranged from racial slurs to swastikas and even nooses on vehicles rolling off the production line.AUSTIN, Texas — Austin-based electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla is being sued by a federal agency for allegedly failing to address the severe harassment of Black employees at a factory in California.
Tesla was sued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Thursday, stating that since 2015, Black employees at the Tesla plant in Fremont have been subjected to harassment and that employees who reported the harassment were then retaliated against.
According to the EEOC, the harassment ranged from racial slurs being used in high-traffic areas, to swastikas, threats and nooses on desks, equipment, in bathroom stalls, within elevators, and even on new vehicles rolling off the production line.
"Today’s lawsuit makes clear that no company is above the law, and the EEOC will vigorously enforce federal civil rights protections to help ensure American workplaces are free from unlawful harassment and retaliation," said EEOC Chair Charlotte A. Burrows.
Burrows filed a commissioner's charge which alleged Tesla violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which led to the EEOC's investigation. Title VII prohibits racial harassment and requires employers who receive complaints about harassment to take immediate and appropriate action to investigate and stop it.
Tesla has yet to respond to the EEOC's lawsuit but said in a response to a separate discrimination lawsuit filed last year that the company "strongly opposes" all forms of discrimination and harassment.