Federal Agency Accuses SpaceX Of Illegally Firing Eight Workers For Criticizing Elon Musk

AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

The National Labor Relations Board has charged SpaceX with illegally firing eight employees because they were critical of founder and chief executive Elon Musk.

The rocket company employees were terminated in 2022 after they circulated an open letter voicing concern about Musk’s “harmful Twitter behavior.” A ninth employee who was also fired did not file a formal complaint and was not included in the labor board’s legal action.

According to The New York Times, the labor board complaint accused SpaceX president and CEO, Gwynne Shotwell, of illegally restricting employees “from circulating the letter, and it identified similar infractions by other executives and managers.”

The Times’ Noam Scheiber reported,”The labor board complaint said that the firings had been retaliatory and that Ms. Shotwell and other SpaceX officials had interfered with the employees’ rights to engage in concerted activities that are legally protected.”

An excerpt from the letter read:

“Elon’s behavior in the public sphere is a frequent source of distraction and embarrassment for us, particularly in recent weeks. As our CEO and most prominent spokesperson, Elon is seen as the face of SpaceX—every Tweet that Elon sends is a de facto public statement by the company. It is critical to make clear to our teams and to our potential talent pool that his messaging does not reflect our work, our mission, or our values.”

Paige Holland-Thielen, one of the fired employees, told The Times, “At SpaceX the rockets may be reusable, but the people who build them are treated as expendable. I am hopeful these charges will hold SpaceX and its leadership accountable for their long history of mistreating workers and stifling discourse.”

If SpaceX declines to settle the case it will go before an administrative judge in March.

SpaceX did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment.

Read The New York Times article here.