SpaceX, founded by business magnate Elon Musk, is a formidable name in the aerospace industry. Yet, the company is now under the microscope, faced with an investigation initiated by the California Civil Rights Department. The central issue? Allegations of prevalent discrimination and sexual harassment against its female workforce.
Claims of Sex Bias Retaliation Emerge
The California Civil Rights Department informed SpaceX about the claims earlier this year. This notification happened several months after several engineers took their grievances to the agency. They alleged that they faced retaliation for expressing criticism against SpaceX and Musk to the company's executives, reveals their lawyer, Laurie Burgess.
These same engineers constitute the pivot of a case filed by the U.S. National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against SpaceX. Accusations against the company include violation of federal labor law through their dismissal. In response, SpaceX has rejected any accusations of wrongdoing and retorted with a lawsuit against the NLRB to impede the progression of the latter's lawsuit. They assert that the NLRB board members and its internal judges did not receive a proper appointment under the U.S. Constitution.
A Pattern of Gender Discrimination and Harassment?
Six complaints launched by engineers based in Hawthorne, California, targeted SpaceX for systematic discrimination. Alleged improprieties include favoring men over women for job roles and promotions, remunerating female employees less than their male counterparts performing similar tasks, condoning sexual remarks, and other forms of harassment. It was further claimed that the company retaliated against engineers and diverse other workers for voicing their complaints.
The engineers, in their statement, accused SpaceX of tolerating, condoning, and even mandating a work environment hostile to female employees. They further alleged that this hostile ambiance extended to employees of all genders who were against harassment and discrimination.
The response from SpaceX towards these charges has been absent, and the California agency, under the restrictions of state law, did not comment on these ongoing investigations.
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Seeking Justice and Safer Workplaces
According to Burgess, these filed complaints were a step towards vindicating engineers and establishing safer workplace conditions for SpaceX's workforce. SpaceX, which always emphasized its Mars mission, saw its vision shared by its clients. Yet, these clients were removed despite their demands for SpaceX to comply with fundamental civil rights throughout the process.
By later this month, SpaceX has to respond to the California civil rights agency, according to an initial report by Bloomberg. The company will then deliberate whether to dismiss the allegations or negotiate a settlement. If a settlement isn't reached, the agency could permit the workers to sue or initiate a separate lawsuit.
Elon Musk, A "Distraction and Embarrassment"?
In their 2022 letter, the engineers went so far as to label Musk as a "distraction and embarrassment," tackling his response to alleged sexual harassment by a flight attendant. The letter revealed numerous sexually suggestive social media posts by Musk since 2020.
This incident involving SpaceX and the U.S. labor board constitutes the latest accusations against Musk-run companies regarding widespread labor and employment law violations.
In 2022, the California agency sued electric car maker Tesla, where Musk functions as CEO, citing allegations of harassment and discrimination against Black factory workers. Though Tesla denied tolerating discrimination, they unsuccessfully challenged the agency's process for investigating complaints and taking the decision to sue. Similarly, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission brought charges against Tesla in a lawsuit initiated in September of the prior year.
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