By Michael Elkins
A lawsuit by 15 Black employees, current and former, was brought against electric vehicle company Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) on Thursday. The suit alleges that the employees were subjected to racial abuse and harassment.
The alleged harassment took place mostly at the company’s Fremont factory in California. According to the lawsuit, the workers said they were subjected to offensive racist comments and behavior by colleagues, managers, and human resources employees. The offensive comments the workers were subjected to include the use of terms like "N****r", "Slavery", and "Plantation" or making sexual comments such as "likes booty." The aggrieved employees also added that Tesla’s "standard operating procedures include blatant, open and unmitigated race discrimination."
The alleged abuse doesn’t stop at racially charged comments. The suit alleges the company assigned the plaintiffs to the most physically demanding posts and that they were passed over for promotion.
The automaker is facing at least 10 lawsuits alleging widespread race discrimination or sexual harassment. This month, a Tesla shareholder filed a lawsuit accusing CEO Elon Musk and the Tesla board of directors of neglecting worker complaints and fostering a toxic workplace culture.
On Monday, a federal judge in California ordered a new trial on the damages Tesla owes to a Black former factory worker who accused the company of race discrimination after he turned down a $15 million award.