Tesla hit with second sexual harassment lawsuit in 30 days
The company has repeatedly been accused of a toxic workplace culture
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Tesla has been sued for the second time in a month with allegations the company allowed sexual harassment to persist at a California factory. Erica Cloud, an assembly line worker at a Tesla facility in Fremont, California, accused the electric automaker of failing to prevent a “pattern of continuous and pervasive sexual harassment”, in a lawsuit filed on Wednesday.
In the suit, she says she suffered "sexual harassment on a near-daily basis" by a manager who would “get on his knees and propose marriage” and “hug and massage” her. Last spring, the supervisor even allegedly said Ms Cloud was “Blackenese” and made comments regarding his penis size.
Upon reporting the harassment to human resources, Ms Cloud allegedly suffered retaliation, according to the suit.
The Independent has reached out to Tesla for comment.
The allegations come on the heels of a similar suit from mid-November, where Jessica Barraza, another Fremont worker, said the company allowed a “frat house” atmosphere.
“Tesla’s factory floor more resembles a crude, archaic construction site or frat house than a cutting-edge company in the heart of the progressive San Francisco Bay Area,” the lawsuit reads.
“The pervasive culture of sexual harassment, which includes a daily barrage of sexist language and behavior, including frequent groping on the factory floor, is known to supervisors and managers and often perpetrated by them.”
In October, the company was ordered to pay out $137 million to a former contractor at the Fremont factory who said he suffered vicious racist abuse, including being told to “go back to Africa” and racist drawings in his work station and in restrooms. The company has challenged the verdict, arguing for a much lower penalty.
A significant minority of Tesla shareholders are pushing for the company to follow the lead of other tech companies like Google and end the use of mandatory arbitration, contract provisions that stipulate disputes be resolved privately, out of court.
Kristin Hull, CEO of Nia Impact Capital, who supports the move, told Reuters in October the growing support is “a huge improvement as we educate folks on why this matters for building an innovative team with a diverse and inclusive company culture”.
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