Posted by Angel Pagan.
A San Fransico court ordered that Tesla has to pay 137 million to an ex-worker due to the racist work environment. The worker was Owen Diaz and he was hired through a Staffing Agency in 2015. He reported that many of his coworkers would degrade him and say “Go back to Africa” to other black coworkers. They also left racist graffiti in bathrooms and other work evironments. The case was only allowed to move forward because Diaz did not sign one of Tesla’s arbitration agreements.
In my opinion I think Tesla is definitely in the wrong for not putting a stop to any of this. A coporation needs to make their work environment safe and welcoming for their workers. This news not only makes Tesla look bad, but also Elon Musk. Also, this is not the first time Tesla has had to settle disputes like this, but usually they are behind closed doors due to these arbitration agreements. People also belive that these agreements can hide serious stuff like sexual harrassment and other racial injustices at the work place through quiet settlements.
Tesla’s board also advised shareholders to vote against reporting the impacts of mandatory arbitration agreements. Instead of Tesla constantly dealing with these settlements they should focus on cleaning up their workplace. They should either enforce better rules about this kind of behavior in the workplace or hire better human beings.
Angel is a student at Seton Hall University.