Musk’s SpaceX sues US labour agency after being accused of illegally firing workers

Elon Musk-run SpaceX has sued the US National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) after the agency filed a complaint against SpaceX, saying it illegally fired eight employees for criticising its CEO.

In a lawsuit filed in federal court late on Thursday, SpaceX claimed that the NLRB’s actions are unconstitutional.

“This action stems from an unlawful attempt by the NLRB to subject SpaceX to an administrative proceeding whose structure violates Article II, the Fifth Amendment, and the Seventh Amendment of the Constitution of the US,” read the lawsuit filed in the US state of Texas.

It claimed that the NLRB’s proceedings violate SpaceX’s “constitutional right to trial by jury.”

“SpaceX is entitled to declaratory and injunctive relief to ensure that it is not subjected to unlawful proceedings before an unconstitutionally structured agency,” it added.

The US labour agency was yet to comment on the lawsuit. The labour agency had alleged that “SpaceX interrogated, surveilled and threatened workers”.

The labour agency claimed SpaceX “created an impression of surveillance” by reading and showing screenshots of messages between employees. Last year, a group of SpaceX employees wrote an open letter to express concerns about how Musk’s behaviour “is a frequent source of distraction and embarrassment”.

“Elon’s behaviour in the public sphere is a frequent source of distraction and embarrassment for us, particularly in recent weeks. 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,” the open letter read.

At the time, a Business Insider report claimed that SpaceX paid a $250,000 settlement to a flight attendant that Musk sexually harassed. In the lawsuit, SpaceX said the open letter was a “distraction to SpaceX employees around the country.”

The NLRB seeks to reach a settlement with SpaceX. The agency is also asking SpaceX to post a notice about employee rights for 120 days and write letters of apology to employees it fired.