Complaint supports workers’ charges that Tesla’s conduct and confidentiality agreement violate their rights
Oakland, CA – The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) handed down a complaint today (attached) that supports allegations made by Tesla workers in an April unfair labor practice charge that the company violated their rights. The NLRB found merit to allegations by workers that the company had violated their rights by requiring them to sign an overly-broad confidentiality agreement that could bar them from talking about their working conditions and safety issues at the facility. The company was also charged with numerous acts of intimidating and harassing workers and otherwise violating workers’ rights under federal labor law.
In recent months, workers have raised concerns about health and safety, compensation, and their right to speak out. This is despite signing a document indicating they may face termination or criminal prosecution for speaking publicly, or to the media, about what they observed at work or their working conditions.
After workers notified elected officials and community groups about the confidentiality policy, five California Assemblymembers sent a letter to the company asking them to clarify the agreement. More than 50 community groups also sent a letter on behalf of workers to Tesla CEO Elon Musk urging him to revise the company’s policy so not to infringe on workers’ rights.
“I knew the company couldn’t legally prevent us from speaking out about issues at the plant, but the confidentiality policy confused a lot of my coworkers and made them fear that they didn’t have certain rights. This NLRB Complaint will help people realize they have the right to speak up when they see something that isn’t right,” said David Gonzalez, a Production Associate. “I’m proud of my coworkers who filed these charges and stood up for us.”
“For as long as I’ve been at Tesla, it’s been clear to me that it’s up to the workers to make sure that we’re safe and treated fairly,” said Jonathan Galescu, a Tesla Production Associate. “I joined others in filing the charges for myself, but I also did it for my coworkers – they need to know we have rights, and that we can speak up about what we are seeing and experiencing. I want to thank the NLRB for hearing us and the UAW for having our backs as we continue our fight to address the issues on the shop floor and form our union.”
Learn more about the fight for a fair future at Tesla at www.FairFutureAtTesla.org.
***NOTE: On page one it reads “Service Employees International Union, Local 2015″ – that is an error that will be corrected. The charging parties are as captioned, Michael Sanchez, Jonathan Galescu, Richard Ortiz, and the UAW. NLRB
(Photo By Steve Jurvetson (Flickr: Blue Belles) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)
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