Astronautics firm SpaceX was charged by a federal labor regulator of unlawfully terminating eight workers for penning a letter describing CEO and founder Elon Musk as a "distraction and embarrassment."
In a report by USA Today, the United States National Labor Relations Board's (NLRB) regional office filed the complaint on Wednesday, January 3. It said that the corporation had violated the workers' rights by trying to get them to divulge information about the letter and then firing them.
The letter, which was circulated in 2022 and seen by The Verge, urged SpaceX to denounce Musk's sexually provocative social media postings and to make corporate harassment standards clear and enforce them consistently.
The labor agency also claimed in its lawsuit that SpaceX, which employs over 13,000 people, threatened to terminate those who participated in the letter and made derogatory comments about the workers who engaged in similar activity.
The dispute is expected to be heard by an administrative court in early March unless SpaceX reaches a deal beforehand.
Open Letter Criticizing Musk
In June 2022, a number of SpaceX employees sent a letter to the company's management and coworkers in which they denounced Musk for his postings on social media platform X (previously Twitter) dating back to 2020, including one in which he made fun of allegations of sexual harassment leveled against him.
The letter reportedly criticized Musk's public remarks, describing them as "a frequent source of distraction and embarrassment." The staff requested SpaceX to separate itself from Musk's statements, accusing him of not following the company's diversity and workplace behavior regulations.
According to the complaint, the workers were dismissed in August as a result of the letter.
Employees were instructed to keep the questioning a secret from their supervisors and coworkers, but the federal agency asserts that human resources improperly conducted it.
Musk as CEO
Musk has a reputation as a leader who often takes a harsh line against his firm's workers who are skeptical of his policies or public conduct.
Following Musk's acquisition and subsequent takeover of Twitter in 2022, the company, now known as X, has drastically reduced its workforce.
Legal battles claiming that Musk and his businesses, which include Tesla, violated the rights of their workers under federal labor regulations are nothing new for Musk and his associates.
Attorneys from the US Department of Justice sued SpaceX in August 2023, claiming that the rocket business discriminated against asylum seekers and refugees.
According to the complaint, SpaceX actively discouraged employment applications from individuals who did not possess the legal status of a US citizen or lawful permanent resident.
The department is now demanding compensation for those who were unlawfully denied work.
