
Elon Musk’s space exploration firm SpaceX has been sued by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) over unjustly terminating eight employees who wrote and disseminated an open letter reflecting on the inappropriate workspace culture.
The petition is the latest to accuse an Elon Musk-led firm of contravening workers’ rights under labour and employment laws.
Sent to SpaceX executives, the June 2022 addressed a range of tweets made by Elon Musk since 2020, with a significant number being of a sexually suggestive nature.
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According to Reuters, the complainants claimed that Musk's remarks were inconsistent with the company's policies regarding diversity and workplace misconduct, urging SpaceX to such statements.
The complaint also alleges that SpaceX inquired employees regarding the letter and disparaged those involved while threatening to fire individuals participating in similar actions.
Deborah Lawrence, the former SpaceX worker, asserted in a statement that SpaceX has a "toxic culture" in which harassment, particularly with women, is not condemned.
"We wrote the open letter to leadership not out of malice, but because we cared about the mission and the people around us," Lawrence said.
Acting as a prosecutor, the NLRB's general counsel presented the cases before the five-member board appointed by the president.
With a hearing set for March 5, the matter will be addressed by an administrative judge if SpaceX will not settle it.
If the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) finds that terminations breached labour law, it can demand reinstatement and compensation for the fired employees. Moreover, the space firm may also bear substantial penalties in future board cases.