Elon Musk’s SpaceX Faces Allegations of Wrongful Termination of Employees for Criticizing the Company
The U.S. Department of Labor has accused SpaceX of illegally firing workers who wrote an open letter criticizing CEO Elon Musk and creating the impression that the rocket company was monitoring workers.
The Los Angeles-based regional director of the National Labor Relations Board filed the complaint Wednesday, which consolidates eight unfair labor practice charges against SpaceX. The cases stem from the company’s alleged actions after the workers’ letter was circulated in June 2022.
The letter, among other workplace concerns, urged executives to condemn Musk’s public behavior on X — the platform then known as Twitter — and hold everyone accountable for inappropriate behavior. Musk’s actions included revealing sexual harassment allegations against him, which the billionaire denied.
“As our CEO and most visible spokesperson, Elon is seen as the face of SpaceX – every tweet sent by Elon is a de facto public statement from the company,” the open letter said at the time. The letter also referred to Musk’s actions as “often disruptive and confusing.”
According to a November 2022 filing with the NLRB on behalf of one employee, a total of nine employees were fired shortly after their participation in the letter, though Wednesday’s complaint only includes eight.
In addition to the firings, the complaint accuses SpaceX of questioning other employees about the letter, informing employees of the termination for their participation in the letter, and “calling on employees to resign if they disagreed with CEO Elon Musk’s conduct.”
The complaint also alleges that some were shown screenshots of communications between employees regarding the letter, which “created the impression among (SpaceX) employees that their protected communications were being monitored.”
Responding to the government’s complaint, SpaceX sued the NLRB in federal court on Thursday. The lawsuit says the NRLB is “unconstitutional” and its actions against the company “illegal.”
Addressing the government’s complaint in the lawsuit, SpaceX lawyers say the workers’ letter caused “significant disruption to SpaceX employees across the country.” It said the employees involved in the letter were fired for violating multiple company policies.
Spacex did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press on Thursday.
The Hawthorne, Calif.-based company has until mid-January to respond to the complaint, according to Wednesday’s filing. The complaint is the NLRB’s first step in challenging these allegations and seeking a resolution. If no settlement is reached, a hearing is scheduled to begin on March 5 in Los Angeles.
