SpaceX is facing a complaint from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), alleging that the company illegally fired employees for writing an open letter criticizing CEO Elon Musk, according to a report by The Verge.
Last year, a group of SpaceX employees drafted an open letter to express their concerns about how Musk’s behavior was a “frequent source of distraction and embarrassment.”
At the time, Musk was attempting to acquire Twitter, which he later renamed to X after taking control of the company. SpaceX then fired the employees who helped write the letter.
In the complaint filed, the NLRB accused SpaceX of questioning workers about their involvement in the letter and asking employees not to discuss the interviews. NLRB spokesperson Kayla Blado told Reuters that SpaceX violated the federal right of workers to collectively bargain for better conditions.
The labor agency alleges that SpaceX “created the impression of surveillance” by reading and displaying screenshots of messages between employees, adding that the company tried to prevent employees from delivering the open letter.
It is also alleged that SpaceX called on employees to resign and threatened to fire them if they participated in organizing activities.
The NLRB is asking SpaceX to post a notice about employee rights for 120 days, and it wants the company to write letters of apology to each employee it fired, among other things. A hearing with an NLRB administrative law judge (ALJ) is scheduled for March 5, 2024, provided that SpaceX does not attempt to settle the charges. Whatever decision the judge makes can be appealed to the board and then to the federal appeals court.
