From a linked article from the first linked article:
> SpaceX quickly fired the employees, with President Gwynne Shotwell explaining in an email to the remaining staff that the “letter, solicitations and general process made employees feel uncomfortable, intimidated and bullied, and/or angry because the letter pressured them to sign onto something that did not reflect their views.”
> “Blanketing thousands of people across the company with repeated unsolicited emails and asking them to sign letters and fill out unsponsored surveys during the work day is not acceptable,” Shotwell wrote to SpaceX staff. The fired employees filed charges with the NLRB in November 2022.
Let's set aside whether or not you like Mr. Musk at all. Personally I think saying he's been a "frequent source of embarrassment" is being generous to him. And also set aside whether it is or isn't "like an airline" or whatever. Just to speak of the complaint itself, does it strike anyone else as absurd? If I start circulating messages to thousands of my coworkers that "Mr. CEO is an embarrassment and terrible, sign my petition blah blah blah" I would not think it unfair that that same guy stops signing my paychecks. What am I missing here about US "labor laws"? I know you're protected from retaliation when you are whistleblowing, reporting harassment, etc. -- but these people's problem seems to just be that they hate their CEO (but still claim to want to work for him).
First, this is taking Shotwell’s characterization at face value, that is not a great idea when dealing with a Musk corporation. Musk and his executives lie like other people breathe.
Second, one might believe in a company’s mission or be interested in working in that area without supporting or even liking the owner. Requiring you to like the owner would be disastrous for many if not most industries.
Lastly, how do you imagine unions get formed without communication among employees?
> Approximately one year after eight former SpaceX employees represented by Lieff Cabraser and Burgess Law Offices filed unfair labor practice charges against SpaceX, the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) has concluded its investigation and issued a complaint against the company alleging 37 separate violations of law. The charges stem from the company’s response to the employees’ letter to SpaceX’s executive team, which expressed concern about allegations of sexual harassment by CEO Elon Musk, and his harmful behavior on Twitter that hurt the company’s reputation, infected the company culture and created a toxic work environment. In response to the employees’ plea for systemic change to correct these concerns, SpaceX launched a campaign of intimidation and coercion: pulling employees into clandestine interrogations by HR, falsely claiming the meetings were attorney-client privileged, and telling employees to keep the meetings a secret even from their managers. SpaceX also fired nine employees for their involvement in the letter.
> The NLRB’s complaint includes 37 separate violations of Section 8(a)(1) of the National Labor Relations Act: 11 for coercive statements, 2 for coercive statements/implied threats, 7 for interrogation, 4 for unlawful instructions, 3 for impression of surveillance, and 10 for retaliation for involvement in protected concerted activity.
The complainants allege they did more than just complain about Elon's personality, and that SpaceX did more than just fire them. I'm not familiar with US labor laws but campaigning for better work conditions sounds union-adjacent.
> Charging Party Deborah Lawrence said: “SpaceX’s ‘mission above all else’ mentality hurts everyone in the organization by allowing people to get away with harmful behavior, including harassment, groping, and physical violence, directed disproportionately at women. The toxic culture has resulted in many hard-working people, who were otherwise highly motivated by the company’s mission, quitting. We wrote the open letter to leadership not out of malice, but because we cared about the mission and the people around us. We believed that SpaceX could be a better place and that you can have a healthy, safe workplace and still reach the stars.”
> SpaceX quickly fired the employees, with President Gwynne Shotwell explaining in an email to the remaining staff that the “letter, solicitations and general process made employees feel uncomfortable, intimidated and bullied, and/or angry because the letter pressured them to sign onto something that did not reflect their views.”
> “Blanketing thousands of people across the company with repeated unsolicited emails and asking them to sign letters and fill out unsponsored surveys during the work day is not acceptable,” Shotwell wrote to SpaceX staff. The fired employees filed charges with the NLRB in November 2022.
Let's set aside whether or not you like Mr. Musk at all. Personally I think saying he's been a "frequent source of embarrassment" is being generous to him. And also set aside whether it is or isn't "like an airline" or whatever. Just to speak of the complaint itself, does it strike anyone else as absurd? If I start circulating messages to thousands of my coworkers that "Mr. CEO is an embarrassment and terrible, sign my petition blah blah blah" I would not think it unfair that that same guy stops signing my paychecks. What am I missing here about US "labor laws"? I know you're protected from retaliation when you are whistleblowing, reporting harassment, etc. -- but these people's problem seems to just be that they hate their CEO (but still claim to want to work for him).