Slashdot Mirror


Tesla Hit With Another Lawsuit, This Time Alleging Anti-LGBT Harassment (theverge.com)

Earlier this week, Tesla was hit with a lawsuit for racial harassment in its factories. Now, a newer lawsuit has been filed against the company alleging anti-LGBT harassment. An anonymous reader shares a report from The Verge: A former employee at Tesla's Fremont factory filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against the electric carmaker, alleging he was fired in retaliation after seeking protection from anti-gay harassment, The Guardian reported today. The defendant, an assembly line worker named Jorge Ferro, claims he was taunted for being gay and threatened with violence. "Watch your back," one supervisor told him after mocking his "gay tight" clothing, the paper said. After complaining to an HR representative, Ferro was repeatedly moved to different assembly lines, but the harassment didn't stop. Ultimately, HR told him there was "no place for handicapped people at Tesla" after noticing an old scar on his wrist, according to The Guardian. He was sent home, and eventually terminated. In a strongly worded statement to the paper, Tesla denied the allegations and defended itself against the charges. "There is no company on earth with a better track record than Tesla," a spokesperson said.

160 comments

  1. Payback by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    Another lawsuit generated by the unions who hate all successful businesses that don't pony up the cash.

    1. Re:Payback by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

      A succesfull business that haemorrhages money and has yet to deliver something on schedule for the first time?

      The problem here is that Tesla is a toxic workplace due to incompetent management and sophomoric leadership that is only driven by stock valueation and the ego of its CEO.

    2. Re:Payback by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      You're both wrong. What we have here is a very few highly publicized allegations against a company that half the world wants to fail for one reason or another. Only when actual data is shown and allegations are proven will I believe things either way (faked claims / systemic harassment / normal company).

    3. Re:Payback by Ritz_Just_Ritz · · Score: 3, Insightful

      They pre-sold 325k Model 3's within a week of opening up the reservation system. The incumbents in the industry and the oil/gas industry WANT Tesla to fail.

      The marketplace seems to WANT to buy their product. Let the market decide.

    4. Re: Payback by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's a shame they can't actually deliver all those pre-orders before they go bankrupt. Apparently arrogance is not a sufficient condition to run a successful car business.

    5. Re:Payback by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They did pre-sale anything. Those weren’t not sales but a fully refundable reservation for a chance to wait in line for a sale. Since then the vast majority of those have been canceled.

    6. Re:Payback by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This sounds so fake i have 0 interest in Tesla but this sounds like bs people who behave this way don't stay in business long.
      I don't understand the American need to sue everyone possible is so self defeating and society destroying and you can't wait to ruin it all.

    7. Re:Payback by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're both wrong. What we have here is a very few highly publicized allegations against a company that half the world wants to fail for one reason or another. Only when actual data is shown and allegations are proven will I believe things either way (faked claims / systemic harassment / normal company).

      Just because there are a lot of critics of Musk, the attention whore, doesn't mean they all want him to fail. If you take it that way then you are basically saying nobody can criticize Musk. Maybe the problem is too much attention, which is something Musk and his fanboy following can blame themselves for.

      I criticize Musk's claims regularly, but I don't want Tesla to fail. I think these are more likely money grabber lawsuits with little or no standing, but you can't just assume so and things need to be properly investigated. Blatant harassment is hard to hide in a large company.,

    8. Re:Payback by Rei · · Score: 1

      Similar to Tesla's response:

      Media reporting on claims of discrimination at Tesla should bear a few things in mind: First, as one of the most highly reported-on companies in the world, anyone who brings claims against Tesla is all but assured that they will garner significant media coverage. Second, in the history of Tesla, there has never been a single proven case of discrimination against the company. Not one. This fact is conveniently never mentioned in any reporting. Third, as we have said repeatedly, even though we are a company of 33,000 employees, including more than 10,000 in the Fremont factory alone, and it is not humanly possible to stop all bad conduct, we care deeply about these issues and take them extremely seriously. If there is ever a case where Tesla is at fault, we will take responsibility. On the other hand, Tesla will always fight back against unmeritorious claims. In this case, neither of the two people at the center of the claim, Mr. Ferro and the person who he alleges to have mistreated him, actually worked for Tesla. Both worked for a third-party. Nevertheless, Tesla still stepped in to try to keep these individuals apart from one another and to ensure a good working environment. Regardless of these facts, every lawyer knows that if they name Tesla as a defendant in their lawsuit, it maximizes the chances of generating publicity for their case. They abuse our name, because they know it is catnip for journalists. Tesla takes any and every form of discrimination or harassment extremely seriously. There is no company on Earth with a better track record than Tesla, as they would have to have fewer than zero cases where an independent judge or jury has found a genuine case of discrimination. This is physically impossible.

      --
      I'll BUILD someone to replace you. Some kind of gamma-powered monster, with a heart as black as coal!
    9. Re:Payback by Rei · · Score: 1

      Since then the vast majority of those have been canceled.

      That is a lie, but thanks for playing.

      --
      I'll BUILD someone to replace you. Some kind of gamma-powered monster, with a heart as black as coal!
    10. Re:Payback by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're a fucking liar: https://www.recode.net/2017/8/2/16087432/tesla-model-3-electric-car-manufacture-preorder-cancellations-elon-musk.

    11. Re:Payback by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Another lawsuit generated by the unions who hate all successful businesses that don't pony up the cash.

      STFU troll

    12. Re:Payback by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      The problem seems more complex then that.
      For nearly a decade Tesla was mostly an R&D shop who did low volume production. This created a well defined culture. Now they are moving to a higher production environment, the culture is changing, and there are people there who do not know how to adapt to such changes. The off the cut rude comment once made to team members of like minded people are no longer tolerated, as you now have a larger team of people that you need to work with, and you need the diversity of skills for further growth. This diversity in skills is also a diversity of people, which their differences and personal quarks and personalities are now in play, and what was once a joke, is now harassment.
      While you can sue the offender, and he would probably get fired, however Tesla needs to be proactive in changing its culture has it business model has changed.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    13. Re:Payback by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The only lie is that they have 300,000 pre orders. Not one of those reservations is an order. That was a reservation to wait in line for the chance of placing an order. And the vast majority will never turn in to actual sales.

      Musk is a well known liar. You can ignore any statement he makes because it has no factual basis.

    14. Re:Payback by rogoshen1 · · Score: 1

      Wrong article bub, this is about Tesla, not Uber.

    15. Re:Payback by mlyle · · Score: 1

      The real question is whether they can produce enough units at a price that people want to stop just chewing through capital at an insane rate.

      It's relatively easy to dump money into growth and get lots of people who want your (subsidized) product. It's another thing to have the degree of operations acumen to keep costs low, and to have people like your product at the "natural price point" it actually shows up at.

      Tesla makes a great product people want-- there's no doubt. Questions are just about the sustainability of the demand, the competitive pressures they're bound to face, the operational efficiency they'll need to reach, and the ultimate economics of their space.

    16. Re:Payback by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Tesla needs to be proactive in changing its culture has it business model has changed

      There's no evidence at this stage to suggest Tesla actually has a cultural problem.

    17. Re:Payback by sfcat · · Score: 1

      The problem seems more complex then that. For nearly a decade Tesla was mostly an R&D shop who did low volume production. This created a well defined culture. Now they are moving to a higher production environment, the culture is changing, and there are people there who do not know how to adapt to such changes.

      Perhaps, but I seriously doubt it. Once a company (or organization of any kind) gets past 100-150 folks, the types of changes you talk about occur. But Tesla has been much larger than that for years.

      I actually think this is a case of importing a culture from another business (manufacturing) as Tesla starts the move to a large scale manufacturing operation. Tesla is located in the heart of SV so the locals (most of the rank and file) are very very liberal. But the manufacturing expertise is coming from other parts of the country, from a industry with a very different culture. The comments in the article strike me as comments you might hear from a typical factory worker, not what you would hear in a software company in SV. Perhaps that's what is happening here. Mass importing of manufacturing experience from another industry from other places and dumping that culture into the heart of SV is a recipe for lawsuits. Throw in the fact that multiple large business and union interests want to see Tesla fail and are willing to fund lawsuits to that end and none of this is really that surprising.

      --
      "Those that start by burning books, will end by burning men."
    18. Re:Payback by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, the claims in the article are pretty egregious.

      In this age of fake news and astroturfing, might I humbly suggest we remind ourselves of a very old-fashioned legal principle: the defendant (Tesla) is presumed innocent until proven guilty?

    19. Re:Payback by gweihir · · Score: 1

      Well, possibly. On the other hand, if "successful businesses" were treating their workers right, there would be no unions. This one, the capitalists caused themselves.

      --
      Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
    20. Re: Payback by slashdotwannabe · · Score: 1

      Oh gosh AC! Because we all know we can totally trust YOUR word!

      --
      This comment is my opinion and does not represent an official position of Donald Trump or others I do not work for
  2. Happy Friday From The Golden Girls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Bazinga!

    1. Re:Happy Friday From The Golden Girls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      no cosmonauts? =(

  3. You know... by Kierthos · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If the company HR was stupid enough to fire him because he was "handicapped", that's a different lawsuit entirely.

    --
    Mr. Hu is not a ninja.
    1. Re:You know... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The guy is probably just making this up.

  4. News for whom? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Assembly line workers at automotive factories aren't much like Slashdot readers. So why highlight this news story to Slashdot readers?

    1. Re:News for whom? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

      Because the editors love peddling social justice outrage.

    2. Re:News for whom? by Kierthos · · Score: 2

      Well, just offhand, I would say it's because the story submission validation does not rely on pleasing a random Anonymous Coward.

      Also, that this involves a Tesla factory, and a huge discrimination lawsuit, coming on the heels of other discrimination lawsuits might have an adverse effect on the company's bottom line, stock value, and ability to produce electric cars.

      But hey, whatever floats your boat.

      --
      Mr. Hu is not a ninja.
    3. Re:News for whom? by michelcolman · · Score: 1, Troll

      That's gay

      That's LGBTQWERTY-harrassment!

    4. Re:News for whom? by boudie2 · · Score: 2

      To remind people living in a high tech fantasy land that in a functioning society some people have to do actual work? Hope it wasn't too much of a shock.

    5. Re:News for whom? by ilsaloving · · Score: 4, Funny

      I'm LGBTDVORAK you insensitive clod!

    6. Re:News for whom? by WrongMonkey · · Score: 1

      A case study in what happens when someone tries to run a manufacturing company as if its a software startup.

    7. Re:News for whom? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm LGBTDVORAK you insensitive clod!

      Hey, at least you're not one of those LGBTEMACS freaks!

  5. Isn't it weird by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How all these lawsuits come out immediately after they fired a bunch of people....

    1. Re:Isn't it weird by barbariccow · · Score: 1

      Since these lawsuits are about wrongful termination, it would be weirder if they came out during a period Tesla was NOT firing people.

    2. Re:Isn't it weird by gweihir · · Score: 1

      Apparently, that simple and strikingly obvious logic is beyond the moron AC.

      --
      Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
  6. Mmmm Hmmmm. by Jahoda · · Score: 4, Insightful

    So, the assertion here is that the HR department of _tesla_ told him that there was no room for disabled people at the company. If you're going to lie, try and make it plausible.

    1. Re:Mmmm Hmmmm. by jedidiah · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Yeah. That one just doesn't make any sense. You can induce a panic attack in an HR professional just by saying those three letters (ADA).

      Although it makes for a nice juicy pleading. Suspiciously so in fact.

      --
      A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
    2. Re:Mmmm Hmmmm. by Kierthos · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Depends on the HR droid in question.

      Okay, I work for a small company, right? We have one HR guy. To the best of my knowledge, he does not have a college degree in a field that would lend itself to HR.

      The previous HR person we had was an Anthropology major. The HR person we had before that was... I'm not actually sure what qualifications they had.

      Now, yes, it's unlikely that a company as large as Tesla would have a bone-stupid, incompetent HR department. That is, the entire department. But it's possible that in an otherwise competent HR department, they have one guy who is shit at his job. Or maybe he just said the wrong thing. Because, clearly, no intelligent person has ever stuck their foot in their mouth.

      Now, if they're smart, they'll settle these cases. Continued bad press scares investors.

      --
      Mr. Hu is not a ninja.
    3. Re:Mmmm Hmmmm. by laurencetux · · Score: 0

      What just because the ADA is like a Legendary Dragon in Skyrim??

      and most companies can only afford Steel Armour??

      yep brushing up against the ADA is like whistling for Meeko and getting a Dire Wolf (with a pack of werewolves behind him)

    4. Re:Mmmm Hmmmm. by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 2

      Yeah, it's time to play another round of Lying Terminated Employee or Shitty HR Department? Most folks have already decided, but we don't really know which it is yet.

    5. Re:Mmmm Hmmmm. by Trailer+Trash · · Score: 1

      Is there even a college degree for HR? I mean, I could see a one semester class or something, but I always assumed HR people were the English majors who sucked at selling insurance.

    6. Re:Mmmm Hmmmm. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Now, if they're smart, they'll settle these cases. Continued bad press scares investors.

      But paying the Danegeld encourages the Dane. Once they show that they're willing to throw money at anyone who accuses them of harassment ... they'll get a lot of accusations of harassment.

    7. Re:Mmmm Hmmmm. by michelcolman · · Score: 1

      Continued bad press scares investors.

      Yeah, that's the way to avoid bogus lawsuits. Reward them by paying them money. That'll set an example!

    8. Re:Mmmm Hmmmm. by AmiMoJo · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The Guardian has more detail:

      The harassment didnâ(TM)t stop after he reported it to a manager, and days after he made a second complaint, Ferro was punished, according to his account. An HR representative took away Ferroâ(TM)s badge, claiming that he had an âoeinjuryâ that prevented him from working and saying thereâ(TM)s âoeno place for handicapped people at Teslaâ, he alleged.

      So maybe the HR person said that, it will probably be impossible to prove, but if he was fired for having an injury (presumably on the grounds that it prevented him from doing his job) they are still quite likely to be in serious trouble. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a copy of the lawsuit available anywhere.

      We should find out if this has merit pretty quickly because if there is no evidence it will get dismissed.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    9. Re:Mmmm Hmmmm. by pak9rabid · · Score: 1

      I've seen people with psychology degree's go into HR a few times.

    10. Re:Mmmm Hmmmm. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Right? This just reeks of complete bs and someone seeking a settlement, not because they were actually wronged but because they see Tesla as being able to afford it. Become successful in the US and you'll get sued for a handout, guaranteed. I don't believe a word of this.

    11. Re:Mmmm Hmmmm. by Trailer+Trash · · Score: 1

      Ironically, psychology is another "insurance sales" major.

    12. Re:Mmmm Hmmmm. by ChrisMaple · · Score: 2

      In a manner of speaking, yes. HR is a part of Industrial Relations. http://colleges.startclass.com/d/o/Labor-and-Industrial-Relations

      --
      Contribute to civilization: ari.aynrand.org/donate
    13. Re:Mmmm Hmmmm. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Now, if they're smart, they'll settle these cases. Continued bad press scares investors.

      Or better yet, they'll win these cases, because it would take some real evidence to prove such an unbelievable story as this one.

    14. Re:Mmmm Hmmmm. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Perverts don't care about reality. All that matters is sexualising kids.

    15. Re:Mmmm Hmmmm. by Opportunist · · Score: 1

      Could you rephrase that into a car analogy so us non-basement dwellers could understand?

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    16. Re:Mmmm Hmmmm. by laurencetux · · Score: 1

      okay try this

      most companies are running about in SmartCars the ADA is like a long haul TRAIN

      most of the time its a full bore MythBusters RocketSled V Car "What Car??" type thing

      a clip for you
      https://youtu.be/aSVfYwdGSsQ?t...

      businesses have been closed over ramps being an inch to high or other trivial things

    17. Re:Mmmm Hmmmm. by barbariccow · · Score: 1

      If you'd go by how often aflak tries to hire me, you'd think a long history of computer science is an "insurance sales" qualification..

    18. Re:Mmmm Hmmmm. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > We should find out if this has merit pretty quickly because if there is no evidence it will get dismissed.

      That's not quite true.

      To survive a motion for summary judgement--which is most likely the process for dismissal you have in mind--Tesla would have to essentially show that their allegations are insufficient to get Tesla in trouble, assuming you believe 100% of what the plaintiff claims. If this is a he-said/she-said kind of scenario, it will go to a jury to decide the facts, even if the evidence looks bogus to most people. So we have to wait for the jury, then the appeal(s) which will be many years from now once everyone has mostly forgotten things.

      I'm oversimplifying things a little bit and there are other ways to get the lawsuit thrown out, I'm just saying that there are scenarios in which Tesla is found to be not responsible for the harassment legally, but in which that has to be decided by a jury at trial.

      * Civil cases are "responsible"/"not responsible" rather than guilty/not guilty.
      ** The parties can agree to have this heard only by the judge instead of a jury if they wish.
      *** I'm oversimplifying the process based on the most likely outcomes. There are several phases of a trial and lots of different directions things could go.

  7. no place for handicapped people is not just a law by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 4, Insightful

    no place for handicapped people is not just a law suit that is a labor law issue as well.

  8. So that's where it comes from by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "scar on his wrist"
    gay men get some kind of surgery to be limp-wristed

  9. Watch your back by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    When told "Watch your back", he should have looked at the guy and said "How did you know that's the way I like it?".
    Let everyone think the supervisor is gay too.
    Elon Musk sets off my Gaydar, some of his "Girlfriends" have been beards for other guys already.

  10. Not what Hitler recommended by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    He said LIE BIG and the Nazis were unarguably very successful at lying.

  11. Can't compete so slander.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Funny how Tesla has been attacked for trying to set up dealerships. Now they have all sorts of rogue employees filing lawsuits loud and publicly.

    Not fishy at all. Nope.

    1. Re:Can't compete so slander.. by Fuzi719 · · Score: 1

      I would wager there's a significant recent improvement in these plaintiffs financial situation from some supportive "donor".

    2. Re: Can't compete so slander.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Who can't compete and who is slandering?

      Your sarcasm is nested a little deep. Can you simplify it for clarification purposes?

    3. Re: Can't compete so slander.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There are people who want a piece of the pie and there are businesses who want to throw some sand in an up and coming competitor's gears. The LGBT agenda is a method of subversion. The activists are what's called "useful idiots". And before you vote this down because you think this is an insult, learn what the term means.

  12. Could be a scam... or not. by WheezyJoe · · Score: 4, Insightful

    On the one hand, if these allegations are true, heads should damn roll.

    On the other, Tesla is a great target for a he-said-he-said lawsuit. High profile, lots of cash, great timing right before the make-or-break moment where they have to make good on their affordable cars before GM and the other old guys power into the market.

    Tesla's got to be a pressure-cooker company right now to get that production up. But if floor management is creating problems like this, there's a huge incentive to for senior management to give a beat-down to the floor managers. No workers, no Tesla 3's, no Tesla... and there goes Elon Musk puttering around dog-faced in a Bolt.

    Who the fuck to believe. To my knowledge, these Tesla things are not sticking like the way they stuck on Uber. But who the fuck knows... news and lawsuits are full of bullshit these days, it's not easy to know truth from some Russian kid with a smartphone masquerading as a Texan. All that's reliably true is Tesla has money, and any cheap-suit lawyer would see an opportunity to make a quick settlement out of them, rather than risk more bad press and production delays as they try like mad to make their delivery date.

    --
    Take it easy, Charlie, I've got an Angle...
    1. Re:Could be a scam... or not. by The+Cynical+Critic · · Score: 1

      This was the first thing that sprang to my mind when I read that he claims he was fired for being disabled and HR thinking he couldn't do the job he was fired for. Tesla being in very busy with getting their first proper volume production car into full production also gives this thing more than a whiff of someone trying shake them down for a settlement rather than a real grievance. The U.S may have lax worker protection laws compared to western Europe, but if there's one thing they do protect workers on the grounds of it's disabilities so any HR department that fires someone simply because of their disabilities is either stupid or deliberately trying to get the company intro serious trouble.

      Only way this makes any kind of sense is that either he's trying to shake them down for a cash settlement at a time when they don't have the time for another public lawsuit or that he was disabled enough not to be capable of doing the job he was hired for and simply lied about it or kept it secret when he was hired (i.e he got himself hired hired with express purpose of being fired). What he's describing in his lawsuit just sounds too ludicrous to be believable and they've already had one cash settlement shakedown lawsuit this year.

      --
      "Why should I want to make anything up? Life's bad enough as it is without wanting to invent any more of it."
    2. Re:Could be a scam... or not. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's obviously a scam. Big companies have to deal with parasites that move from company to company, get hired, work for 6 months to a year, and either fake an injury or harassment. They know that big companies will just settle rather than fighting in court.

    3. Re:Could be a scam... or not. by JBMcB · · Score: 1

      To my knowledge, these Tesla things are not sticking like the way they stuck on Uber.

      Everybody likes Elon Musk. Nobody likes Travis Kalanick. It can be as simple as that.

      --
      My Other Computer Is A Data General Nova III.
    4. Re:Could be a scam... or not. by painandgreed · · Score: 1

      Tesla's got to be a pressure-cooker company right now to get that production up. But if floor management is creating problems like this, there's a huge incentive to for senior management to give a beat-down to the floor managers. No workers, no Tesla 3's, no Tesla... and there goes Elon Musk puttering around dog-faced in a Bolt.

      I'd agree, but I've yet to see senior management ever take up the workers cause over other management even when it is obviously hurting the company. HR pretty much just admits they are only there to help management. That sometimes takes the form of risking a lawsuit by firing somebody who keeps notifying them that some manager keeps doing something illegal.

    5. Re:Could be a scam... or not. by h4ck7h3p14n37 · · Score: 1

      It sounds like this was a problem employee that Tesla tried moving to several groups, but the employee kept being a problem. Eventually Tesla figured they had done enough and terminated the problem.

    6. Re:Could be a scam... or not. by Type44Q · · Score: 1

      if these allegations are true

      It shouldn't require a genius-level IQ to figure out that they are not.

  13. Re:no place for handicapped people is not just a l by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This is NOT something ANY HR person in the COUNTRY would say. And if they did, those fuckers need to burn in the fiery pits while having the company president publicly kick them in the ass repeatedly.

    These fucking stories just hitting right as Tesla is offering a lower cost car seems very god damn suspect. And all of them are around SJW trigger keywords. The type of shit where it doesn't matter whether there's any truth behind them. The public (morons) will lap it up and turn rabid at each announcement.

    It's entirely possible I'm wrong, but it just seems really, ridiculously suspect that all this supposed harassment has been happening all this time and just NOW it's coming out.

  14. Re:no place for handicapped people is not just a l by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And if he wins then any handicapped person who had applied for a job and was turned down should sue for discrimination.

  15. Business hack by fluffernutter · · Score: 2

    Granted these allegations may not be true or entirely honest; that is for the courts to decide. However, if they are true and Musk's business plan did not in fact include fair treatment of employees, unless he tuns a business taht doesn't need employees, then he isn't much of a business leader at all is he? Visionary perhaps, but business hack.

    --
    Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
    1. Re:Business hack by WheezyJoe · · Score: 1

      Just because shit happens on the production floor doesn't make you a business hack. It's a huge operation, and a man only has 24-hours in a day. The fact that he's motivated enough people to work and invest enough to create and operate both Tesla and Space-X marks him as a pretty incredible achiever. Have you accomplished this much? I sure as fuck haven't!

      That doesn't mean he shouldn't take responsibility for fixing problems going on in his factory. But again, give the man credit for at least having a production floor in the US of A. Tim Cook, to compare Apples to Teslas, doesn't have to worry about these things, because he outsources his production to Foxconn in China, and Foxconn handles its worker problems the China way. iPhones get shipped; no worries and certainly no lawsuits from some disgruntled factory worker.

      Musk is no business hack... he's produced and continues to produce actual products, innovative products at that, all while he's still young. That's way more than you or I have done, and he's pushed the envelope more than old farts like Ford, GM, or even United Technologies (where's their re-usable, self-landing first-stage rocket booster, for example?) such that they're all playing catch-up. There's still time yet for these charges against Tesla to turn real and call for a response from Musk, or wind up as just another two-bit shake-down. Til then, give the man his due - he's made shit happen while most us just sit around bitching and moaning our lives away.

      --
      Take it easy, Charlie, I've got an Angle...
    2. Re:Business hack by G00F · · Score: 1

      I'm not Musk fanboy. But he's right in the fact his factories are in the US and not china.

      USA where lawsuits are taken up agaisnt companies as a gamble for big payoff where the merits of the lawsuits are weighed against the cost to fight. Where winning the battle is losing.

      --
      The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions that I wish it to be always kept alive
    3. Re:Business hack by cascadingstylesheet · · Score: 1

      Granted these allegations may not be true or entirely honest; that is for the courts to decide. However, if they are true and Musk's business plan did not in fact include fair treatment of employees, unless he tuns a business taht doesn't need employees, then he isn't much of a business leader at all is he? Visionary perhaps, but business hack.

      That's a pretty big if. The allegations sound ludicrous.

      Anybody can make allegations.

    4. Re:Business hack by Rockoon · · Score: 0

      This is part of Union Tactics 101.

      This accomplishes two things:

      (1) it makes good on union threats to hurt the business if the company continues to resist
      (2) it garners some support from workers that might otherwise vote against unionization

      The UAW did it to the place I work at. Now they are doing it to Tesla. This is what the UAW does. Those that think the UAW have only wormed their way into automobile manufacturers are completely ignorant. The UAW has even unionized casino table games dealers.

      --
      "His name was James Damore."
    5. Re:Business hack by Rockoon · · Score: 0

      "The union represents more than 12,000 casino and gaming workers, 25,000 higher education workers, 16,800 state of Michigan employees and 11,000 John Deere employees."

      8 things about UAW you might not know

      --
      "His name was James Damore."
    6. Re:Business hack by fluffernutter · · Score: 1

      I guess that depends on whether you figure a business leader needs to be able to make a business work with human employees or not.

      --
      Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
    7. Re:Business hack by WheezyJoe · · Score: 1

      I think you're on to something. Often, the talent for new ideas and persuading investors to provide the money to build factories and hire workers is NOT the same as for motivating those workers, resolving disputes and making for a pleasant workplace. Maybe that's why sports team owners hire coaches to manage the players while they stay out of it except to cut checks and drink bourbon from the owner's box. Thing is, in sports, if the team loses the coach gets fired. In manufacturing, when trouble comes the management more often stays in place while workers get fired or entire plants close. I suppose that's because in sports they see the players as the talent, while in manufacturing the workers are not seen as having much value (if they're trouble, replace them; if they work great, you don't think about 'em much). There are great managers and HR people out there. How can you tell? Silence - it's hard to hear, easy to imagine it's not even there, but silence is the sound of no troubles on the factory floor.

      Same as it ever was, except there's an ever-increasing demand for automation to cut the whole thing out. If a robot gets developed so good that it could pick strawberries without squashing them, assemble iPhones without breaking them, transport stuff in and out without crashing, and assemble copies of itself...

      --
      Take it easy, Charlie, I've got an Angle...
  16. Re:Liberalism by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I don't think you quite understand what the word 'liberal' means. Maybe you should consult a dictionary.

  17. Don't leave us hanging by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    try and make it plausible

    But you haven't told us what to try.

  18. Re:no place for handicapped people is not just a l by AmiMoJo · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The Guardian (why not just link to the source, instead of an article about the article?) elaborates:

    The harassment didnâ(TM)t stop after he reported it to a manager, and days after he made a second complaint, Ferro was punished, according to his account. An HR representative took away Ferroâ(TM)s badge, claiming that he had an âoeinjuryâ that prevented him from working and saying thereâ(TM)s âoeno place for handicapped people at Teslaâ, he alleged.

    If that it true then there should be some hard evidence, i.e. documentation of the reason he was fired. Tesla could be in real trouble if it turns out to be true.

    --
    const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
    SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
  19. Did HR fail? If they said this yes... by bobbied · · Score: 1

    Remember, always remember that HR is NOT there to protect employees. HR where you work is NOT your friend, even if they say they are. They are not looking out for your interests, DON'T go to them unless you cannot help it.

    The primary purpose of an HR person is to keep the company from being successfully sued. Secondary to that is to keep the company from being sued. After that comes keeping employees safe and happy..

    If some HR person actually told a handicapped person this, they failed in their primary and secondary tasks and need to be shown the door, but somehow, I doubt that there is any independent evidence that this was said. I've not had too much experience with HR folks for obvious reasons, but I've never met one this stupid.

    --
    "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
  20. Re:Perpetual Offended try to infiltrate Tesla by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm offended by this post

  21. Re: Liberalism by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Liberals need to consult it too

  22. Re:Liberalism by thegreatbob · · Score: 0

    I don't think they're going to be moved by your exposition of facts, unfortunately. These types never are.

    --
    There is no XUL, only WebExtensions...
  23. Re:Liberalism by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Stop being pedantic. Everyone else understands what they were saying.

  24. Re:no place for handicapped people is not just a l by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I've met some pretty stupid (smart?) HR folks when it comes to discrimination. When it comes to outright insulting you and making you feel insecure in your job, they'll say the most asinine things -- things that would get anyone else fired -- as long as there are no witnesses. I learned a long time ago to record any conversations I have with HR.

    That said, even I'm having trouble believing this.

  25. Re:no place for handicapped people is not just a l by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's entirely possible I'm wrong, but it just seems really, ridiculously suspect that all this supposed harassment has been happening all this time and just NOW it's coming out.

    You need to educate yourself in logics. There are many reasons why many victims don't want to come out. You have to understand that most people will take time to think (and try reasoning) whether or they want to be a whistle blower; especially when an incident directly involves themselves. An obvious reason is the future. If a person comes out, then what would be the future career for the person? Often times, a whistle blower would NOT be hired again from any companies because those companies are afraid of the similar situation.

    Now if you are the person, is in your 30s, and have a family, what do you think would happen if you are all of the sudden unemployed and has a difficult time to get a new job? Think about it before spouting this kind of stupid statement. Things aren't straight forward when there are many other factors involved.

  26. Re:Did HR fail? If they said this yes... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yep. And if anyone doubts it, just ask your local HR person -- they will explain that they aren't there for you; that they are there for management and the company.

    Do yourself a favor and record any conversation you have with HR. They do tend to get high and mighty when it's just you and them in the room. I've had one or two encounters with HR where I wish I had evidence of what was said.

  27. Re:no place for handicapped people is not just a l by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Any person with a scar.

  28. Re:Did HR fail? If they said this yes... by LordWabbit2 · · Score: 1

    Remember, always remember that HR is NOT there to protect employees.

    Wholeheartedly agree on that, found that out the hard way. HR is there to protect the company, not the employees.

    but I've never met one this stupid

    Agree again, but I get the feeling that a company like Tesla would not be hiring moron HR managers, which makes you wonder how much of this is actually true.

    I was working for a company and one of the developers was having a hard time at home, marriage issues, new born keeping him up at night, money problems etc. and his performance was slipping at work (getting to work late, tired, leaving early the usual kinda stuff in that situation) and one of the managers decided to fire him. HR said there were no grounds for a dismissal, a disciplinary perhaps, but not dismissal. But he insisted, so HR fired him. He took them to labor court and won the case. So sometimes it might seem like it's HR being the douche, but actually it's upper management forcing them.

    --
    There are three kinds of falsehood: the first is a 'fib,' the second is a downright lie, and the third is statistics.
  29. Re:no place for handicapped people is not just a l by Ritz_Just_Ritz · · Score: 1

    Indeed. I think this is going to turn out to be a merit-less lawsuit once all the facts are heard. We'll see.

  30. Re:no place for handicapped people is not just a l by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sounds to me like this might be the unions stirring shit, or possibly the competition. Either way, systematically going around to everyone who's been dismissed in the latest round of business-normal firings and seeing if there's any possible labor complaint that can be made. "Oh you're gay? Claim that you were harassed and then fired on a technicality. You're black? Harassment and trumped-up dismissal. Female? Well obviously there's a gender discrimination suit waiting to happen."

    It could be coincidental, or it could be that Tesla actually used their latest round of firing nonproductive workers to get rid of 'undesirables'. But the smart money bets on hostile action here. Always follow the money.

  31. Re:no place for handicapped people is not just a l by ChrisMaple · · Score: 1

    One problem a rapidly-growing company has is hiring large numbers of people without being able to adequately weed out incompetents, problem-makers, and assholes. It seems here that both the HR person and the ex-employee should never have been hired.

    Consider yourself in the position of the ex-employee. If you're told your clothing is unsuitable to the workplace, do you wear different clothes or continue wearing objectionable clothing? If you have an ugly scar on your wrist do you wear a long-sleeved shirt to hide it or do you push it in people's faces? Undoubtedly this guy was complaining all the time, making other people unhappy with their jobs. Would you do that? If you're fired for cause, is your first consideration finding a new job or finding a lawyer and a publicist?

    A curse on both their houses.

    --
    Contribute to civilization: ari.aynrand.org/donate
  32. Re:no place for handicapped people is not just a l by ChrisMaple · · Score: 1

    A family? Read the summary.

    --
    Contribute to civilization: ari.aynrand.org/donate
  33. Re:Did HR fail? If they said this yes... by swb · · Score: 1

    One of the biggest management embarrassments I've ever been exposed to was when a previous employer hired an EVP for HR. After a couple of weeks on the job and some exposure to some extensive, dodgy personnel management decisions, the new EVP sent out a memo to all department heads requesting info on several categories of bad behaviors common at our company, noting that they put the company at risk, created ill will among employees and needed to be changed.

    About a day after that memo, the new EVP resigned. From a pure resume perspective, he had way more serious management background than our senior management (most of whom had been at this particular company for years, and only in this industry) and I think existing management felt chastised that someone would call them out for bad behavior.

    Because the memo had been sent out, lots of people saw it and it was generally understood the new EVP had said "fuck you, I'm not doing this" when he was called out for reasonably doing his job. It was also understood he got a BIG severance for basically quitting his job 2 weeks in.

  34. HR Cockup by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The HR forgot to include in their workplace manual the chapter "How to react and deal with it when your colleague's ass is so hot you can't focus on your responsibilities."

  35. Re:no place for handicapped people is not just a l by Khyber · · Score: 1

    "If that it true then there should be some hard evidence, i.e. documentation of the reason he was fired."

    The whole purpose of HR is to lie and act as a cover-up entity for corporations. Good luck finding hard evidence there unless the HR people are just seriously incompetent.

    --
    Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
  36. Re:Perpetual Offended try to infiltrate Tesla by Hylandr · · Score: 1

    Good, now grab y our ankles and spell RUN.

    --
    ~ People that think they are better than anyone else for any reason are the cause of all the strife in the world.
  37. Re:no place for handicapped people is not just a l by Hylandr · · Score: 1

    It's DeLorean 2.0

    --
    ~ People that think they are better than anyone else for any reason are the cause of all the strife in the world.
  38. Re:no place for handicapped people is not just a l by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    A family? Read the summary.

    That's just an obvious example that there are many factors involved. Sorry for confusion. If you want me to relate to TFA, then read below because it is an allegation. Still, a whistle blower WILL have a hard time getting a new job especially in the same industry.

    Ferro, 35, began as an assembly line production worker in April 2016 at the Tesla manufacturing plant in Fremont, California. Soon after he started, a supervisor who trained him, Jamar Taylor, began harassing him and mocking his sexuality, according to a lawsuit. Taylor allegedly told Ferro his clothes were “too tight – gay tight”, repeatedly taunted him about his outfits and later said he was not “welcome” because he is gay. Taylor also “went on to suggest that [Ferro] had a lot of enemies because ‘everyone suspects that [he is] gay’”, the suit said.

    Ferro became fearful when the taunts escalated to threats of violence, including “be careful” and a warning that “something might happen to his car”, according to the complaint. Ferro told plant manager Dave Rebagliati that he was gay and was facing harassment, and HR later removed Taylor from Ferro’s assembly line, the suit said.

    The harassment didn’t stop, he said. Taylor allegedly began outing Ferro to other co-workers and continued to approach Ferro in the factory, at one point saying a new employee should not learn anything from “someone like” Ferro.

    After his second complaint to Rebagliati, on 2 August 2016, the manager decided to transfer Ferro to another assembly line row, according to the complaint.

    ...

    While training for his new job, Rebagliati noticed a scar on Ferro’s wrist from an injury 16 years ago, and although Ferro said it had no effect on his job, the manager sent him home without pay, saying he needed a doctor’s note before returning to work, the complaint alleged. An HR official who took away his badge said he was “handicapped” and that no accommodations could be made, and three days later, before Ferro could have a doctor’s appointment, he was officially terminated, according to the suit.

    A doctor later confirmed that he was able to perform his duties. Regardless, it was illegal for Tesla to fire Ferro for a perceived disability, according to Dolan. “This was just a BS reason to kick him out of the workplace.”

  39. Re:no place for handicapped people is not just a l by Mr+D+from+63 · · Score: 1

    This is NOT something ANY HR person in the COUNTRY would say. And if they did, those fuckers need to burn in the fiery pits while having the company president publicly kick them in the ass repeatedly.

    These fucking stories just hitting right as Tesla is offering a lower cost car seems very god damn suspect.

    Get mad all you want, but this type of allegation happens to every large company. You just typically don't hear about it because the media could care less or the claimants don't see that publicity would help their case. But when it is Tesla, the media will be all over it and the claimants will try to use that to their advantage. Tesla's biggest problem is their place in the media spotlight, a place Musk seems to want them to be in.

  40. All the time... by nealric · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Speaking as the spouse of an employment lawyer, public companies are hit by discrimination lawsuits all the time. The primary reason is that discrimination is the only cause of action most employees have if they feel they've been unjustly terminated. Even if they are really upset because they thought their boss unfairly evaluated their work, they may allege discrimination because they can't sue over anything else.

    In other words, I wouldn't make too much of this. People are only paying attention because it's Tesla.

    None of the above is to say that discrimination or harassment can't be a serious problem, and that the suits are never meritorious- just that the mere fact of the suit occurring doesn't mean much.

    1. Re:All the time... by Radical+Moderate · · Score: 1

      No kidding. There were 91,503 discrimination lawsuits filed in the US last year, but the fact that Tesla has 2 against it is news. I can't even...

      --
      Never let a lack of data get in the way of a good rant.
    2. Re:All the time... by h4ck7h3p14n37 · · Score: 1

      Even if they are really upset because they thought their boss unfairly evaluated their work, they may allege discrimination because they can't sue over anything else.

      I've seen this happen first hand. We had a woman on our support team that was just plain incompetent. She was unable to understand how things worked, and would try to keep copious notes in the hopes that one of them would tell her what to do. Well, technical support doesn't work like that, you have to be able to actually use your brain and troubleshoot issues.

      After several months of not being able to handle any of the tasks given to her, she was fired for performance reasons. Shortly after she was gone members of the team started to receive phone calls from her asking for various things. She tried to get recommendations from some people, from others she tried to get information like the number of men versus the number of women on different teams. It was quite transparent that she was fishing for information so she could file a discrimination lawsuit instead of just accepting she did a poor job.

  41. Re:Perpetual Offended try to infiltrate Tesla by Rei · · Score: 1

    You know, it's companies like Tesla and people like Musk that are great at muddling the left-right division.

    Develops electric cars! .... but leading the fight against UAW.
    Left Trump's business council! .... but nonetheless willingly signed up for it anyway.
    Helping rebuild power infrastructure in Puerto Rico! .... but also is a billionaire entrepreneur.
    Smashing up UAW's monopoly position in rocketry! .... but also triumphing over government programmes (NASA) with the power of private enterprise.
    Extreme scaleup of battery production to support mass deployment of renewables on the grid! .... but fires employees at the drop of a hat if he thinks they're underperforming, because there's always more lined up to take their place.

    Can someone remind me which side is supposed to love him and which side is supposed to hate him? ;)

    --
    I'll BUILD someone to replace you. Some kind of gamma-powered monster, with a heart as black as coal!
  42. Re:no place for handicapped people is not just a l by Rei · · Score: 1

    For me, it was at least plausible until:

    Ultimately, HR told him there was “no place for handicapped people at Tesla” after noticing an old scar on his wrist, according to The Guardian.

    I don't even.... huh? How does that even make sense? It might make some sense if the person had been repeatedly marked down for low productivity in activities involving their hands, and then some manager decided that the person just couldn't do the job and credited the scar as being associated for the reason why. But just out of the blue, with no indication that the person is failing to do some activity with their hands? I can't even begin to picture that. It's like the plaintiff neglected to mention a long history of bad productivity scores and was hoping that we wouldn't ask about that part.

    --
    I'll BUILD someone to replace you. Some kind of gamma-powered monster, with a heart as black as coal!
  43. Makes you want to check sourcing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Of who / what is motivating this flurry of lawsuits. Almost like a certain union is doing a smear campaign to weaken Tesla.

    While it is believable that Tesla has been extremely stoopid, it really ain't. They have to walk so many fine lines w/ all the taxpayer subsidies. So it is more likely a smear campaign than Tesla being Uber stoopid.

    TL/DR;
    ADA is shit scary @ HR / Mid/ Upper lvl management. Works better than garlic & sunlight.

  44. Re:no place for handicapped people is not just a l by BasilBrush · · Score: 1

    DeLoean couldn't find customers at the time. They'd already become bankrupt before Back To The Future came out.

    Tesla on the other hand has an order book stretching out years in advance.

    So no, not the same at all.

  45. Physical job by DrYak · · Score: 1

    If that it true then there should be some hard evidence, i.e. documentation of the reason he was fired. Tesla could be in real trouble if it turns out to be true.

    Not necessarily. The guy was working on assembly lines.
    i.e.: a physical job, that requires physical fitness.

    Tesla could actually get into real trouble in the case that the guy was improperly hired and then hurt himself due to doing a physical job for which he was unfit.

    If the guy did lie back when he was hired (e.g.: provided a bogus medical certificate) to hide his disability, and it happened to only be discovered now, Tesla would be in their right to fire him.

    Again keep in mind that we're not speaking about a desk job, were rejecting somebody on ground of being disabled would be discrimination.
    We're speaking about a physical job, that requires a certain degree of physical fitness and the guys could have been lying and providing forget medical documents.

    --
    "Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
  46. Re: Liberalism by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    > Where liberals support presidents that sexually abuse interns.

    I assume you mean Clinton. Which is silly, because even as a (relatively) staunch Republican, I'm pretty sure he didn't have to do much beyond say "ok, but Hill can never know about this" while Monica wrapped her lips around his weiner like a hungry bitch in heat. ("staunch" != "jesus freak in permanent state of moral panic over sex"). If fire-n-brimstone hell exists, the worthiest candidates for residency there are Ken Starr & Rush Limbaugh.

  47. surprised and shocked by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Elon come on , what are you doing there ....

  48. Re:no place for handicapped people is not just a l by Opportunist · · Score: 1

    Of course, emotional scars DO count.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  49. but WAIT, therze more. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    we can talkbout factshur alldurrlong ifyou giturass outurface, if weiman wants2be apoliceofficer thensandbag thatcripple uptofullsize. handicapps iswhat made robocop uknow?

  50. Re:Liberalism by Opportunist · · Score: 1

    Wait, wait... the democrats are a LIBERAL party in your opinion?

    Dude, never comes to Europe. Our parties would only confuse you.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  51. Why is Tesla doing manufacturing? by rmullig2 · · Score: 1

    They aren't built to do mass market vehicles. They should just license the technology or outsource the manufacturing to somebody else and stick to the high end part of the business.

  52. Re:no place for handicapped people is not just a l by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 1

    It was no coincidence that the same week Taser went public, they were hit with a lawsuit over accidental deaths.

    Follow the money to frauds and lawyers and politicians. Someone wants money.

    --
    (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
  53. Re: no place for handicapped people is not just a by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Yeah, no. I'm a gay man, but this has my bullshit detector going off. There's no large company in the country that would risk those kinds of statements or actions in this day and age. It's asinine.

    This guy sounds like a perpetually offended asshole who got fired for being toxic. I know lots of combative, hyperbolic, dramatic gay dudes. Some are friends, but working with them would be hell.

  54. Re: no place for handicapped people is not just a by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Or, you know, the guy just made shit up. I know it's hard to believe some people lie for money... You have no evidence to draw any conclusion.

  55. Unions? by vanyel · · Score: 1

    It seems awfully suspicious that when unions are trying to unionize Tesla, all of a sudden there's a bunch of barely credible lawsuits happening...

    1. Re:Unions? by Mike+Van+Pelt · · Score: 1

      It seems awfully suspicious that when unions are trying to unionize Tesla, all of a sudden there's a bunch of barely credible lawsuits happening...

      Yeah, this. A lot of unions have a record of playing the "Nice company you've got there. It'd be a shame if it got slandered in the media non-stop until you give in to our demands" game. I remember a grocery store chain a while back, where the union types were claiming that the store was soaking rotten fish in chlorine bleach to kill the smell and putting it back in the cooler. No such fish were ever submitted in evidence, of course.

  56. Re:Perpetual Offended try to infiltrate Tesla by mlyle · · Score: 1

    Man, I didn't know that the United Auto Workers were so good at rocketry. (I suspect you mean USA)

  57. Re: Liberalism by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Relax, Mohammed. He didn't say Fascist.

  58. Re:Liberalism by barbariccow · · Score: 1

    Aint no party like a eurotrash party cause a eurotrash party DON'T STOP!

  59. Tesla May Have Been Gay Himself by mallyn · · Score: 1

    Do you hear that high pitched whine? That's Tesla spinning in his grave. Because he may very well have been gay himself. According to the Bernard Carlson book on Tesla, he did have a romantic relationship with another man.

    --
    Most Respectfully Yours Mark Allyn Bellingham, Washington
  60. Re:Liberalism by Merk42 · · Score: 1

    Democrats are more liberal than Republicans and as there are only two parties because every issue is black and white, they are the definition liberal.

  61. Re:no place for handicapped people is not just a l by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This is a perfect example of the "no true HR person" fallacy.

  62. After my 6th marriage... by Shotgun · · Score: 2

    After my 6th marriage, I began to think the problem might be me.
    -poorly quoted from some rock star or another

    Seriously, they moved me from line to line and i kept getting bullied. Is the whole company bigoted? They've hired 10,000 people from around Fremont. Is the population of Fremont this bigoted? I don't see the employees of most places treating an individual like this. I think it is more likely the guy was an asshat troublemaker.

    --
    Aah, change is good. -- Rafiki
    Yeah, but it ain't easy. -- Simba
  63. Re:no place for handicapped people is not just a l by h4ck7h3p14n37 · · Score: 1

    The DeLorean would have sold a lot better if John had included a kilo of coke with each one.

  64. Re: Liberalism by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See, they line up to support people who sexually abused 26 women (Bill Clinton's current count).
    While telling you they stand up for women, just as long as those women don't tell people they were molested by DNC leaders.

    What a joke the DNC and liberals have become. You want to tell me how being a KKK member isn't that bad as another liberal told me the other day?

  65. Not sure... but I'm thinking conspiracy by BlueCoder · · Score: 1

    Just too many of these issues are popping up with Musk lately. I think people are actively throwing wrenches into all of his operations. More specifically auto makers. This is all very dangerous. A very likely outcome is Musk moves all his operations outside the USA.

    But ponder this. Could not this worker simply be a bad apple that just happens to be gay?

  66. Re:Perpetual Offended try to infiltrate Tesla by war4peace · · Score: 1

    Could it be... United Arab World? :)

    --
    ...gis sdrawkcab (usually not responding to ACs; don't bother posting as AC)
  67. Re:Did HR fail? If they said this yes... by Mike+Van+Pelt · · Score: 1

    And sometimes it is HR...

    At a company ages ago, my boss desperately wanted to hire someone for IT network security who in the past had rather famously gotten in some legal hot water about being in possession of some AT&T Unix code.

    He fought HR over that for weeks. The HR drone finally said "You can keep fighting this, and you will probably win in the end. However, we can drag this process out for at least a year, maybe two. And we absolutely will drag it out for as long as we possibly can. Your call."

    So, my boss had to give up on hiring the guy. Too bad; he'd have been a great fit for the position.

  68. Re:Liberalism by Opportunist · · Score: 1

    If anything, your parties are white and beige.

    Or black and anthracite, whichever you prefer.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  69. Re:no place for handicapped people is not just a l by Lucky_Strikez · · Score: 0

    YEP! Every time I even see the acronym LBGT I roll my fucking eyes, fuck those wierdo's and their need to be in the spotlight because they're offended constantly anyhow.

  70. Re:no place for handicapped people is not just a l by pipingguy · · Score: 1

    The harassment didnâ...

    Article writer Scottish.

  71. just like irregardless? by Brockmire · · Score: 1

    I would think it would just be called "gay harassment" and anti-gay harassment sounds more like harassment towards the biggot.

  72. Re:Perpetual Offended try to infiltrate Tesla by Rei · · Score: 1

    Úff, wrote UAW twice. The second was supposed to be ULA :

    --
    I'll BUILD someone to replace you. Some kind of gamma-powered monster, with a heart as black as coal!
  73. Re:Liberalism by Merk42 · · Score: 1

    That implies that they are more similar than different. There cannot be any similarities.

    There are only two parties. Mine, which is true and good and flawless, and the other one, which is evil and stupid in everything.

  74. Having worked blue collar jobs by rsilvergun · · Score: 2

    I'd be genuinely shocked if you couldn't find some examples of LGBTQ and racial harassment at Tesla, especially if they didn't already have strong controls in place to deal with it. It just sorta comes with the territory. Heck, in small non-corporate shops where there's no women (think small help desks) the stuff that goes on would get you fired in any major corporation on the planet.

    Thing is, some of this stuff is probably the sort of thing you can laugh off if you're not LGBTQ. But imagine you spent your entire childhood getting the shit kicked out of you because you were a little on the effeminate side or got kicked out by your parents because you're a bit too 'tom boyish'. Or heck, if you're black and come from the South jokes about lynching aren't just in poor taste they're terrifying because, well, you might have actually feared being lynched enough not to know when somebody's joking.

    What I'm saying is America is a _hell_ of a lot more fucked up than most of us on /. realize. Even if you're not a snowflake you should still be wary of flame throwers.

    --
    Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
    1. Re: Having worked blue collar jobs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I like how you choose the trendy pet groups of the liberals for your examples when most people got bullied growing up.

      Stop pretending life is not hard for a lot of people outside of your victim bubble.

  75. Re:Liberalism by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You will notice, of all the replies the only one that addressed my points was someone saying Clinton sexually abusing an intern is ok. Which was basically my point.

    What other party fought a war to keep blacks in slavery, attempted to keep women from voting, attempted to keep blacks from getting equal rights, kept a KKK leader as a top senator for 60 years? All in addition to all the things I originally listed.

    Its not both are equally bad, its not even close. The DNC hates the average American citizen, and always has. They just keep getting more blatent because they have a bunch of complete idiots defending them for their racism, abuse of women, and corruption.

    Sad

  76. Re:Payback - wha by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I think we need to sue the LGBT groups for discrimination against STRAIGHT people!

  77. Just automate it all by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Having to defend against this kind of crap when you use people to make the product is the number one reason there will be far fewer people making the next generation product. Engineers like to introduce greater control and solve problems. Elon will solve this like an engineer. Eliminate the weak point.

  78. Acronyms, assholes by Tenebrousedge · · Score: 1

    Thanks for outing yourself as a stupid homophobe, but biologically, being LGBTQ is not particularly weird. I imagine your perception of such persons as being perpetually offended is strongly linked to your offensive attitude towards them. Are you perhaps able to fuck off in some permanent sense?

    --
    Those who advocate genocide deserve every protection afforded by law, and none afforded by common human decency.
  79. Re:Liberalism by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Where liberals support companies that discriminate based on sex, LGBT status, and disability.

    Fake news, but you *are* a bigot and enjoy legislating your morality, so do fuck off.

    Where liberals support Hollywood that sexually abuses women by the 100s (or 1000s).

    Right, it's all the conservatives that are up in arms about that issue.

    Where liberals support presidents that sexually abuse interns.

    This argument has been named "Grab 'em by the Clinton"

    Where liberals support the use the IRS to target political opponents.

    Or maybe that only happened if you've been repeatedly lied to by Fox News.

    Where liberals support spying on opposing campaigns during an election.

    Nothing about this is true.

    Where liberals support rigging national election primaries.

    Nothing about this is true.

    Where liberals support a candidate that took $140 million in bribes from Russia while Secretary Of State.

    No part of this is true.

    Where liberals support a candidate that destroys subpoenaed evidence because it might have wrecked her chance of winning.

    Emails were deleted, but no legal challenge has appeared despite Republicans controlling all branches of government and Trump's campaign promises.

    I'm not sure if you're a gullible fuckwit or a damnable liar. Why don't you go destroy some other democracy.

  80. Re: no place for handicapped people is not just a by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's all a big PR lie. But this one is not even plausible. I worked in Cali for 11 years. At every company I've ever seen in that state, GayBLT people are treated with *favoritism*.

    I call bullshit on the whole thing.

  81. Re: no place for handicapped people is not just a by Khyber · · Score: 1

    Been there, worked that. Try again when you've left the basement and worked for a large corporate organization.

    --
    Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
  82. Re: no place for handicapped people is not just a by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What kind of hell is Tesla when a guy can't work the production line in his mesh tank top and yoga pants???

    Completely unacceptable, Xir!!