Tesla Faces Accusations of Firing Workers Who Criticized Elon Musk

Tesla is now facing accusations of firing two workers from California after taking part in a group that sent letters criticizing Elon Musk's work in the office mandate and his Twitter behavior, as per complaints issued by their attorneys and reported first by Bloomberg.

Illegal Firing Accusation

The policy of requiring all employees to report to work, which was implemented at the end of May, was questioned in one draft letter to Tesla chiefs. Another person claimed that Musk's Twitter remarks were against the automaker's anti-harassment policy.

In June, the two employees were dismissed from their posts. According to documents submitted to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), one had just received a raise the month before, while the other was informed that their discussions constituted "an attack" on the business.

According to Bloomberg, the draft letters were never sent internally, but both employees claim they were fired for raising the issues.

TechCrunch that this case is yet another illustration of how a Musk-owned business is being accused of hitting back against employees who engage in collective action to improve working conditions, which is against federal labor rules.

Workers are allowed to engage in "protected concerted activities," such as communicating with one another to rally support for a common cause.

Open Letter from SpaceX Workers

Eight former SpaceX workers said they were wrongfully let go earlier this year after penning a letter demanding stricter zero-tolerance measures in response to Musk's alleged sexual harassment.

The same San Francisco law firm that represented the former Tesla employees was retained by those workers, who also lodged a complaint with the NLRB.

Several SpaceX employees signed an open letter in June denouncing Musk's conduct on Twitter, calling it an embarrassment and a distraction for the space company.

"Elon's behavior in the public sphere is a frequent source of distraction and embarrassment for us, particularly in recent weeks. As our CEO and most prominent spokesperson, Elon is seen as the face of SpaceX-every Tweet that Elon sends is a de facto public statement by the company," the workers wrote.

The letter, which was published on June 15 in a SpaceX internal Microsoft Teams channel with over 2,600 employees, alleges that the company is not abiding by its well-known "No Asshole" and zero tolerance for sexual harassment policies.

The email was later forwarded to SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell, who claimed that it "made employees feel uncomfortable, intimidated and bullied, and/or angry."

She said that the letter forced other employees to sign something that went against their values and reminded them that workers are not allowed to send unsolicited emails and participate in unauthorized surveys while at work.