Black workers at Tesla sue for alleged racial abuse

Fifteen Black former or current employees at Tesla filed a lawsuit against the electric car maker on Thursday, alleging they were subject to racial abuse and harassment at its factories.

According to the lawsuit filed in a California state court, the workers said they were subject to offensive racist comments and behavior by colleagues, managers, and human resources employees on a regular basis.

The lawsuit said that the automaker's standard operating procedures include blatant, open and unmitigated race discrimination and some of the plaintiffs were assigned to the most physically demanding positions in Tesla or passed over for promotion.

It said that Montieco Justice, a production associate at Tesla's Fremont factory, was immediately demoted upon returning to Tesla after taking an authorized leave of absence as a result of contracting COVID-19.

The automaker is facing at least 10 lawsuits alleging widespread race discrimination or sexual harassment, including one by a California civil rights agency.

It has policies in place to prevent and address workplace misconduct, and it previously denied wrongdoing.

On Monday, a federal judge in California ordered a new trial of the damages Tesla owes to a former factory worker who accused the company of race discrimination after he turned down a $15 million award.

A shareholder of Tesla has filed a lawsuit accusing CEO Elon Musk and the board of directors of neglecting worker complaints and fostering a toxic workplace culture.