On Tuesday, a United States Labor Board judge will hear accusations that SpaceX fired employees because the company is sexist.
This hearing is a component of the case that eight former SpaceX engineers have filed against the rocket manufacturer. They claim that Musk fired them for circulating a letter that criticized Musk.
In their 2022 letter, the engineers claimed that Musk was sexist and that SpaceX had a history of discriminating against women. The National Labor Relations Board’s general counsel, who is representing the engineers, claims that the engineers were sacked immediately following the letter’s distribution throughout the corporation.
If the company were to dismiss the workers over the letter, it would be a violation of the National Labor Relations Act, which grants employees the ability to organize for better working conditions. The engineer’s reinstatement, together with back pay and benefits, could be ordered by the judge to be paid by the corporation.
After the court’s decision, SpaceX can appeal to the five-member NLRB. The board does not include the labor judge scheduled to hear the case on Tuesday. The business has taken legal action by formally suing the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), claiming that the agency’s structure infringes upon the company’s right to a jury trial. The business denies any wrongdoing. While its grievance against the board was being handled, SpaceX had already requested a postponement of Tuesday’s meeting. In this case, the NLRB did not side with the business.
For SpaceX, this is hardly an isolated incident. In 2018, a flight attendant accused Mr. Musk of harassing her inappropriately on one of the company’s private planes. The business paid a settlement of approximately $250,000. He strongly refuted the allegations.
In January, SpaceX filed a lawsuit to halt the case’s progression before National Labor Relations Board Administrative Law Judge Sharon Steckler in Los Angeles. The lawsuit asserts that the board’s internal enforcement actions violate the U.S. Constitution. The case was filed in Texas federal court by SpaceX, denying any misconduct while criticizing the labor board’s fundamental powers. Last month, the case was moved to California by a court, and on Tuesday, the company’s challenge to that decision was denied by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
