Tesla has been in the news a lot recently. Recent allegations of racism have been made against the popular electric vehicle manufacturer. In the lawsuit, Marc Cage, who is of African American descent, claims that he was fired for reporting widespread safety violations. Even though reporting widespread safety violations should be enough for some form of protection, he further alleged that he was fired due to issues relating to his race.
In the lawsuit, Cage claims that he reported these safety issues because he was concerned that the conditions of Tesla’s battery factory in Nevada left certain components at risk of exploding, placing countless people at serious risk of injury or death. Furthermore, the lawsuit alleges that there were systemic failures by the company to disclose major risks that led to on-the-job injuries.
The lawsuit also alleges that Tesla maintains commitments to unrealistic production goals. As a result, employees try to work as fast as they can but often lead to mistakes. These mistakes can lead to serious manufacturing concerns, injuries among its workers, and promises that have to be broken. He further alleges that other employees at Tesla, including managers of the company, harassed him on the basis of his race. He further alleges that leadership at Tesla did not do enough to protect him against this form of discrimination.
As an example, he claims that just about every restroom and the Tesla facility in Fremont contained racist slurs, swastikas, and even uses of the n-word. While Tesla has not yet commented on the lawsuit, the allegations made by Cage against the popular electric vehicle company are alarming.
Furthermore, it is not the first lawsuit to be filed against Tesla due to issues related to racism. Recently, a state agency in California filed a lawsuit against Tesla on behalf of African-American workers who claimed they were subjected to drawings and racist slurs at the very same facility. Even though Tesla has said that that lawsuit is misguided, there are other allegations of racism being made against Tesla as well. It will be interesting to see where this most recent lawsuit goes and if it forces Tesla to make any changes.
