By Michael Elkins
Construction workers who helped to build Tesla's (NASDAQ:TSLA) gigafactory will file a complaint and a case referral with the federal Department of Labor against the company on Tuesday detailing exploitative work conditions they say they experienced while building the plant. The complainants allege that they were forced to work in unsafe conditions and still have unpaid wages dating back to last Thanksgiving.
Construction workers at the site state that subcontractors falsified necessary credentials and did not require workers to complete job training that would inform them of health, safety, and workers’ rights.
Workers also stated they were forced to work in unsafe conditions with flooded floors and exposed wiring, with one worker telling his wife, “I am going to die in this factory.”
Other whistleblowers are reporting what they describe as wage theft and say they weren’t paid at all or didn’t receive proper overtime compensation for their work on the hi-tech facility.
“Nobody deserves what happened in the gigafactory to happen to them, or their family members, or whomever,” Victor, a worker who asked to withhold his last name out of fear of retaliation, said in an interview with The Guardian about working conditions, adding: “I don’t think it was humane.”
Victor claims his team was directed to work on the metal factory roof at night with no lights, labor on top of turbines that were blowing smoke without protective masks, and otherwise put themselves at risk without basic information on how to stay safe.
Tesla is not unfamiliar with safety violations. Tesla’s plant in Fremont, California, has outpaced other major U.S. auto plants for Osha violations, incurring over $236,000 in fines between 2014 and 2018.The company’s factory outside of Reno has also experienced several injuries, including amputations.
Shares of TSLA are up 1.36% near end of day trading on Tuesday.