Tesla: Female worker files lawsuit against firm alleging 'sexual harassment' in US

A female Tesla employee has filed a lawsuit in the United States, accusing Elon Musk's electric car firm of fostering a hostile work environment for female employees. 38-year-old Jessica Barraza filed the complaint at a state court in Oaklandon alleging female employees at Tesla Inc's Fremont, California, factory endures "rampant sexual harassment," reported The Washington Post on Friday, November 19. Barraza, a production associate at Tesla's Fremont factory, claimed that female employees are subjected to enduring harassment, with coworkers and seniors making outrageous comments and gestures. She further revealed that she had raised the issue to her managers and human resources about the harassment, but no action was taken. 

In her suit, Barraza claims that she was subjected to vulgar comments about her body, sexually harassed by a supervisory lead via text message, and was frequently touched inappropriately by coworkers. She also alleged "nightmarish conditions" at the factory which, according to her, looks more like a primitive, antiquated construction site than a cutting-edge firm in the centre of the progressive San Francisco Bay area, reported the news outlet. Employees claim that internal issues are seldom brought to light and that lawsuits are rare because Tesla makes many employees sign obligatory arbitration agreements, which require that disputes be resolved outside of court. The deal is "illegal and unenforceable," according to Barraza's lawyers.

Lawsuit to be brought under California Fair Employment and Housing Act

It should be mentioned here that the lawsuit is being brought under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, alleging sexual harassment and a failure to prevent sexual harassment in violation of the law. Meanwhile, speaking to The Washington Post, three current and former Tesla employees corroborated aspects of Barraza's allegation. They claimed that they also witnessed such incidents or personally experienced sexual harassment at Tesla's Fremont plants, describing the culture as male-dominated, retaliatory, and hostile to women.

Earlier in September, another female employee at Tesla's Fremont plant said she was subjected to racial and gender harassment. Rebecca Spates, a Black woman who started working at Tesla in June 2019, said in her complaint that she had approached management with a complaint but to no avail. It is worth mentioning that accusations of discrimination at Tesla's Fremont facility have dogged the business for years. Tesla Inc. was ordered by a jury to pay $137 million to a former contractor who had alleged racial discrimination as part of a hostile work environment at the same plant in the month of October, reported the outlet. 

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