San Francisco — In less than a month, United States carmaker, Tesla, has received another lawsuit by a female employee for sexual harassment.
Her manager allegedly hugged and massaged her while making suggestive remarks, reported Reuters on Friday (Dec 10).
Male workers would stare at her breasts and say she had an “onion booty” or “Coke bottle” body and brush up against her while pretending it was accidental, reported Reuters.
A Tesla assembly line worker, Erica Cloud, has accused colleagues, including her former manager, of “continuous and pervasive” sexual harassment.
Ms Cloud is now experiencing retaliation from other managers after submitting a complaint to Tesla’s human resources department regarding the incident.
The earlier lawsuit involved 38-year-old Jessica Barraza, who endured “near-daily” catcalls and inappropriate touching during her three-year employment as a production associate.
Ms Barraza, who works at the Fremont, California factory, said the last straw was when a man placed his leg between her thighs while clocking in from her lunch break.
The man replied, “Oh, my bad,” chuckling as Ms Barraza jumped away.
Both lawsuits note that the women were subjected to “a hostile work environment stemming from animus towards gender.”
As Tesla does not have a public relations department, no response to media queries from the company has been recorded.
“The pervasive culture of sexual harassment, which includes a daily barrage of sexist language and behaviour, including frequent groping on the factory floor, is known to supervisors and managers and often perpetrated by them,” Ms Barraza’s lawsuit alleges.
According to reports, Tesla’s Fremont factory was not unfamiliar with claims of mistreatment.
On Oct 4, a federal jury ordered the automaker to pay Owen Diaz, an African-American former elevator operator, US$136.9 million (S$186.9 million) for the racial harassment he had faced.
On Nov 16, Tesla sought to overturn the verdict, noting it “abhors and condemns” all racial slurs. However, the company stated the most Diaz deserved was US$600,000.
Tesla shareholders eventually approved a proposal for a published report fully accessing the company’s diversity and inclusion effort. /TISG
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