Tesla, the electrical automobile firm led by billionaire Elon Musk, is going through a proposed class-action lawsuit accusing it of favouring visa holders over American staff to chop labour prices.Filed Friday within the San Francisco federal court docket, the grievance alleges Tesla violated federal civil rights legislation by disproportionately hiring H-1B visa holders whereas shedding US residents. The swimsuit claims the corporate’s reliance on overseas expert staff has resulted in widespread discrimination, in line with a report from Reuters.
In line with the submitting, Tesla employed about 1,355 H-1B staff in 2024 whereas shedding greater than 6,000 US-based workers, “the overwhelming majority” believed to be Americans. Plaintiffs say this imbalance displays a sample of bias in hiring and firings.The lawsuit was introduced by software program engineer Scott Taub and human assets specialist Sofia Brander, who each declare they have been denied jobs as a result of they didn’t require visa sponsorship. Taub mentioned one Tesla position was marketed as “H1B solely,” whereas Brander alleges she was twice refused interviews regardless of prior expertise as a Tesla contractor.“Whereas visa staff make up only a fraction of the USA labour market, Tesla prefers to rent these candidates over US residents, as it will probably pay visa-dependent workers lower than American workers performing the identical work,” the grievance says, calling the apply a type of “wage theft.”The lawsuit additionally cited a December 2024 publish on Musk’s social media platform X, the place he wrote: “The rationale I’m in America together with so many vital individuals who constructed SpaceX, Tesla and a whole bunch of different firms that made America sturdy is due to H-1B.” Musk himself is a naturalised US citizen who first got here to the nation on an H-1B visa.
