Tesla factory a 'hotbed' for racism, where n-word hurled repeatedly at black workers, lawsuit allege
PALO ALTO — A new lawsuit alleges Tesla’s factory floor is a “hotbed for racist behavior.”
In the suit, former assembly worker Marcus Vaughn, who said he was fired from the electric car maker for “not having a positive attitude,” claims supervisors and co-workers called him the n-word, but his written report to human resources about it drew no investigation.
In a blog post responding to the lawsuit, filed Nov. 13 at California Superior Court in Alameda County, Tesla pointed to behavior and disputes among workers.
“Several months ago we had already investigated disappointing behavior involving a group of individuals who worked on or near Marcus Vaughn’s team,” Tesla said. “At the time, our investigation identified a number of conflicting accusations and counter-accusations between several African-American and Hispanic individuals, alleging use of racial language, including the ‘n-word’ and ‘w-word,’ (a slur against Latino people) towards each other and a threat of violence.
“After a thorough investigation, immediate action was taken, which included terminating the employment of three of the individuals,” Tesla said.
Read more: http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/11/14/tesla-factory-a-hotbed-for-racism-where-n-word-hurled-repeatedly-at-black-workers-lawsuit-alleges/