SpaceX onboard a Falcon 9 rocket preparing for launch carrying NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, Janet Epps and Roscosmos astronaut Alexander Grebenkin to the International Space Station at Kennedy Space Center. logo is displayed. March 2, 2024 in Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA.
Joe Skipper | Reuters
of National Labor Relations Board accused space x A new complaint has been filed alleging that the company entered into illegal severance agreements with laid-off employees across the country.
The unfair labor practice accusations come as SpaceX filed a federal lawsuit challenging the legality of the NLRB’s oversight authority, and federal authorities filed a separate complaint against eight employees who publicly criticized the company’s CEO, Elon Musk. This came two months after he accused the company of illegally firing him. letter.
The NLRB’s new complaint alleges that SpaceX included illegal confidentiality and nondiscrimination clauses in severance agreements that unlawfully limited the ability of terminated workers to participate in other claims against the company. ing.
The rocket manufacturer and satellite internet company also illegally require workers, as a condition of employment, to sign arbitration and dispute resolution agreements and waive their right to receive money in class action lawsuits. They also claim that they have maintained strict rules. company.
In part, the severance agreement states, “You agree to provide assistance to current, former, or future SpaceX employees with respect to any grievances, concerns, claims, or litigation of any kind against us, whether individual, collective, or collective. You agree not to provide.” “No action may be brought unless compelled by a valid subpoena or court order,” the complaint states.
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Inc and CEO).
Antonio Masiello | Getty Images
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday by the NLRB’s Seattle Regional Director for Region 19, alleges that “these unlawful employment contract provisions hinder, restrain, and coerce employees in exercising their rights guaranteed under the National Labor Relations Act.” “I do,” he claims. I said in an email.
If SpaceX does not settle the lawsuit, the complaint will be heard by an NLRB administrative law judge in Seattle on October 29.
The final decision in this case may be appealed to federal court.
As part of the complaint, the agency’s general counsel is seeking a trial judge’s order requiring SpaceX to revoke its severance agreement and class action immunity and to provide widespread notice to employees of their rights. There is.
SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CNBC regarding the complaint. The company has until April 3 to submit a response to the NLRB.
The action is the latest in a series of battles between Musk’s company and the NLRB.
In an earlier complaint filed against SpaceX on January 3, the NLRB said the company fired eight employees and called Musk “anxious” for sending a letter to company executives in June 2022. The lawsuit alleges that the rights of eight employees were violated.
The letter focuses on a series of tweets Musk has made since 2020, many of which were sexually suggestive.
All but one of the fired employees worked at SpaceX’s headquarters in Hawthorne, California.
The day after the NLRB’s complaint, SpaceX filed suit against the NLRB in federal court in Texas. The company argued that the NLRB’s structure violates the U.S. Constitution.
Grocery store chain Trader Joe’s and online retail giant Amazon each challenged the legality of the NLRB’s organization on these grounds in separate lawsuits.
In October, the NLRB charged Musk’s social media company X with violating the law by firing an employee who criticized the company’s return-to-work policy. The worker, Yao Yue, tried to organize other workers at the company over these concerns and was fired, according to the complaint.
X was known as Twitter before Musk acquired it.
The NLRB has eight listings on its home page. open case against teslaan electric car manufacturer whose CEO is Musk.
Mr. Musk won a victory against the NLRB last year when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit reversed an NLRB administrative law judge’s ruling against Tesla.
The NLRB judge declared that Tesla’s uniform policy violated workers’ rights to wear clothing emblazoned with pro-union logos and slogans.
