Upset Tesla Employees Are Airing Dirty Laundry

Jason Siu
by Jason Siu

Tesla employees don’t seem to be too happy.

In the past, there have been reports of SpaceX employees complaining about working long hours and on the weekends, with one anonymous engineer saying CEO Elon Musk’s “version of reality is highly skewed.”

Some have reached out to the United Auto Workers (UAW), claiming they work long hours for low pay under unsafe conditions. They added that Tesla has set aggressive production deadlines, causing California lawmakers to begin questioning Tesla for making its employees sign broad confidentiality agreements.

SEE ALSO: Tesla is Now Officially More Than Just About Cars

The American automaker said in a statement the complaints come from professional union organizers, and pointed out that it is the largest manufacturing employer in California. One production worker at the company’s Fremont plant, Jose Moran, shared in an online blog post that workers typically get paid $17 to $20 per hour, below the national average of $25.58 per hour for U.S. auto workers.

Moran says he’s been with Tesla for four years and is proud of the work the company does, helping produce innovative electric vehicles. But he also said he averages 60 to 70 hours a week and that a few months ago, six of the eight members of his team were on medical leave from work-related injuries.

Headquartered in Palo Alto, Tesla has over 5,000 non-union workers at its factory in Fremont.

[Source: Tesla]

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Jason Siu
Jason Siu

Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.

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  • John Spires John Spires on Feb 10, 2017

    I would assume that they get paid overtime during these long weeks. I hear the same bitching from oil and gas guys in my neck of the woods....You make tons of money and work tons of hours for said money. You could make considerably less than $20 an hour like I do and have good benefits and hours....Very few get both. We can't all be the boss.

  • Smartacus Smartacus on Feb 11, 2017

    another day another toastla story

    • See 2 previous
    • Smartacus Smartacus on Feb 17, 2017

      because toastla is at fault NONE of the time, right? uh huh. well-maintained? oh you mean like changing the engine oil and filter on it?

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