SpaceX, the rocket ship company founded by Elon Musk, is facing accusations from a U.S. labor agency of unlawfully terminating employees who authored a critical open letter about Musk and creating an atmosphere that suggested surveillance of worker activities.
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) filed a complaint on Wednesday, consolidating eight unfair labor practice charges against SpaceX. These charges are related to the company’s actions following the circulation of the employees’ letter in June 2022.
The open letter, which expressed various workplace concerns, called on executives to condemn Musk’s public behavior on Twitter and hold everyone accountable for unacceptable conduct. Musk’s actions included making light of sexual harassment allegations against him. The letter highlighted Musk as the face of SpaceX, stating that every tweet from him was a de facto public statement by the company. It also referred to his actions as a frequent source of distraction and embarrassment.
According to a November 2022 filing, nine employees were terminated for their involvement in the letter, though only eight are included in the NLRB’s recent complaint. Apart from the firings, the complaint accuses SpaceX of interrogating workers about the letter, announcing terminations publicly, and inviting employees to quit if they disagreed with Musk’s behavior.
The complaint also alleges that SpaceX showed some employees screenshots of communications about the letter, creating an impression that their protected activities were under surveillance. In response to the NLRB’s complaint, SpaceX has filed a lawsuit against the labor agency, claiming it is “unconstitutionally structured” and its action is “unlawful.”
SpaceX argues that the employees’ letter caused significant distraction across the company and that the terminations were justified for violating company policies. As of now, SpaceX has not provided a response to the NLRB’s complaint. The company has until mid-January to respond, and if a settlement is not reached, a hearing is scheduled to begin on March 5 in Los Angeles.
