Gigafactory Texas builders complain
A group of Tesla employees will file a lawsuit against the electric car maker. This “class action,” the English term for class actions, targets Gigafactory Texas.
More precisely, these are the workers who participated in the construction of the Texas factory. They denounce the lack of respect for working conditions and the dangers they face.
They also complain that their wages are stolen, of course, when they are paid by check, and that they are not paid for overtime. Some did not even get the wages they needed.
The employee explains that his badge has been changed and that he has received no training on safety or workers’ rights. Thus, they were unaware of their right to refuse work that they considered too dangerous.
“No one deserves to suffer what happened at the Gigafactory”an anonymous employee informed the Guardian about this. “I don’t think it’s human. »
He and other colleagues directly employed by Tesla will face charges. The Ministry of Labor (Department of Labour) will deal with this through the workplace health and safety office.
“I will die in this factory”
This employee’s testimony continues and details the dangerous conditions in which he operates. He reveals several times that he works on the roof of the factory without lights. He was doing this near turbines raising dust, but his employer did not offer him a mask.
To make matters worse, he and his colleagues had to continue working on a flooded floor that no one provided. In these conditions, the cables were submerged in water and the wires were bare.
He reveals what he said to his wife one evening: “I will die in this factory”. He also explained that he had to go back to work with a broken arm because he needed the money. “There was a security problem every day”.
An attorney for the Workers’ Defense Project, a nonprofit that helps them, laments the situation. “Tesla didn’t seem interested in making sure everyone could go home at night safe and sound and with all the money in their pockets.”Hannah Alexander explains.
False promises of double pay on Thanksgiving
Indeed, in addition to security concerns, it sometimes seemed difficult to recover and maintain his salary. Some workers had their money stolen, others struggled to get their wages. That was the case last year on Thanksgiving Day, when workers resumed work. It is not the first time that the workers, whoever they are, are under pressure.
Tesla promised them double their salary for this, but they got paid the same as usual. The workers did not want to offend their employers using the system. Indeed, companies in the United States hire subcontractors, who in turn hire them.
“Everybody makes mistakes”the employee continues. “Anyone could have avoided it. Tesla could have avoided it. » But there is no question of responsibility for the Workers’ Defense Project in the end Tesla’s.
“Everything we’ve seen is compounded by a lack of transparency or accountability because they’ve decided not to independently monitor it.”David Chincanchan, chief of staff of the association, explains.
“Overall, the state of the industry in Texas tends to be a race to the bottom. Exploitation of many workers, often immigrants, is a problem. »
Gigafactory Texas should be able to produce 4,680 cells and eventually the Tesla Cybertruck. However, it is now being criticized by critics. One of the main areas of complaint will be the issuance of false certificates that employees have completed occupational safety training.
The Worker Defense Project declined to share a list of contractors involved in the complaint. This refusal is indeed explained by the ongoing investigation. For its part, Tesla declined to comment.
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