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NewsWorldAmericas

Musk's Tesla settles lawsuit with Black worker who claimed employees
were told 'welcome to the plantation'

Employee Raina Pierce also says she was disciplined for behaviors her
non-Black coworkers were not at Elon Musk's Tesla plant in Fremont,
California

Katie Hawkinson
in Washington, D.C.
Friday 18 April 2025 15:26 EDT
Comments
    
A Black employee at Tesla's Fremont, California plant (pictured) sued
Elon Musk's company after claiming a manager greeted employees by
saying 'welcome to the plantation'
open image in gallery
A Black employee at Tesla's Fremont, California plant (pictured) sued
Elon Musk's company after claiming a manager greeted employees by
saying 'welcome to the plantation' (Getty Images)

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Elon Musk's Tesla has settled a racial discrimination lawsuit after a
Black employee sued the company, alleging a manager sometimes greeted
her by saying "welcome to the plantation" and "welcome to the slave
house."

Employee Raina Pierce, who installed latches on car doors at Tesla's
Fremont, California plant, finalized a settlement agreement with the
automaker on Thursday, according to a filing in San Francisco federal
court. Terms of the agreement remain unknown.

Pierce says she faced harassment, was called a gender-based insult
and saw racial slurs scrawled on bathroom walls. Pierce also said she
was yelled at and disciplined for behaviors that her non-Black
coworkers were not.

According to the lawsuit, one Tesla employee who temporarily joined
her line told Pierce to speak out.

"You need to go to HR because these leads are saying things about you
that are not right," the employee said.

Raina Pierce says she was disciplined for behavior her non-Black
coworkers were not while working at Elon Musk's Tesla
open image in gallery
Raina Pierce says she was disciplined for behavior her non-Black
coworkers were not while working at Elon Musk's Tesla (Getty Images)

The Independent has contacted Tesla's attorney and Pierce's attorneys
for comment.

This isn't the first racial discrimination lawsuit to come out of
Tesla's Fremont plant.

Last year, Tesla settled a 2017 harassment lawsuit with former
elevator operator Owen Diaz, who is Black. Diaz said he heard racial
slurs daily, saw swastikas drawn throughout the plant and witnessed
other racist conduct, Reuters reports.

The settlement ended appeals from both sides after a jury awarded
Diaz $3.2 million in damages in 2023. Diaz was also awarded $137
million by a different jury in 2021, but a judge later found it was
excessive. A new trial was ordered and Diaz refused a lower amount of
$15 million.

Elon Musk's Tesla has faced other racial discrimination lawsuits out
of their Fremont, California manufacturing plant
open image in gallery
Elon Musk's Tesla has faced other racial discrimination lawsuits out
of their Fremont, California manufacturing plant (REUTERS)

A class action lawsuit involving thousands of former and current
Black employees and contractors is also set to go before a jury this
fall, according to Bryan Schwartz Law. The workers say they've been
called racist slurs and seen racist graffiti while experiencing
discrimination and harassment at the plant.

The workers are seeking a court order that would bar the company
"from maintaining a hostile work environment on the basis of race,"
and would mandate harassment training for all Tesla employees,
according to the law firm.

The company has denied the claims in court filings.

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