Black Tesla employees say years of racism went unchecked as company faces California trial
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California officials say Black workers at Tesla’s Fremont factory faced racial slurs, graffiti, unequal pay and limited opportunities for advancement.
Black employees at Tesla’s flagship California factory are accusing the company of allowing years of racial harassment and discrimination to go unchecked as a major civil rights trial gets underway.
The California Civil Rights Department’s lawsuit against Tesla is being heard in Oakland before Superior Court Judge Peter Borkon. The case, filed in 2022, alleges that Black workers at Tesla’s Fremont factory were subjected to racial slurs, racist graffiti, unequal pay, limited promotion opportunities and discriminatory job assignments.
As The Guardian reported, attorneys for the state opened the trial Monday by presenting photographs allegedly showing the N-word, swastikas, Confederate imagery, white supremacist symbols and messages telling Black workers to “go back to Africa” written throughout the facility.
California attorney Brett Watson described the environment as “rampant racism” that remained unchecked for years.
“These experiences cannot be dismissed as a few bad apples,” Watson said, according to The Guardian.
The allegations extend beyond offensive language and graffiti. According to Reuters’ report on the trial, California officials allege that Black workers were disproportionately assigned to lower-paying and less desirable jobs, paid less than other employees and denied opportunities for advancement.
Tesla has denied wrongdoing and called the lawsuit “misguided.” The company says it has policies prohibiting discrimination and has disciplined or terminated employees who engage in racial harassment.
Tesla attorney Tyree Jones argued in opening statements that the state was unfairly blaming the company for misconduct by individual workers.
“The state is blaming the employer, when it’s the victim,” Jones said, according to The Guardian.
The case is being tried without a jury, meaning Judge Borkon will ultimately determine whether Tesla violated California civil rights laws. The trial is expected to continue through the end of October.
The proceedings are the latest in a series of legal battles involving allegations of racism at Tesla. In 2022, a federal jury awarded former Tesla worker Owen Diaz $137 million after finding the company liable in a racial harassment case, though a judge later substantially reduced the award. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has also sued Tesla over allegations of racial harassment.
For Black workers who say they experienced discrimination at Tesla, the California case represents a broader examination of whether the company adequately responded to years of complaints.