Originally published at: SpaceX's retaliatory firing of 5 employees concerned about working conditions seems illegal | Boing Boing
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SpaceUnion!
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Aw, come on! He was just kidding!
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This sort of thing is very very hard to prove though, especially in an at-will employment state. They needn’t give any reason for firing people, so any argument for a specific reason that violates the law is a high burden of proof. I was fired once for rejecting sexual advances from a boss. Nothing ever happened because even something that obvious (which had witnesses, no less) wasn’t sufficiently provable.
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The lawyers that they talk to for the article seem to think that they have a pretty good chance simply because SpaceX is stupid and has already said all the quiet parts out loud. And even in an at-will state there are still federal laws that apply, and the violation of those is what is being talked about here.
I think the main reason that nothing will come of this is actually just that the only outcome of it would be an award of back pay for the time out and reinstatement at the position, and who the fuck would want that at this point?
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EM backs the GOP, so the only “overreaching activism” SpaceX — EM — will tolerate is the type pushed by the GOP. Culture Control Oligarchy USA… on trajectory.
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Lawyers say a lot of things in think pieces about a lot of cases. That doesn’t mean anyone would actually try the cases. I had an ironclad case, but no lawyer would touch it.
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Really? Seems like a textbook case of “hostile work environment” to me.
Then again, it may well be that they dodged a bullet by getting fired.
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My daughter went through something similar - I understand where you are coming from and it’s infuriating and upsetting that it is allowed to happen and so frequently.
I also am sure that any improved chances this might have over a case like yours or my daughter’s comes down to misogyny
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I think I explained the reasons pretty well upthread.
It doesn’t matter how “obvious” it seems in blogs and news articles. It matters what they can prove to a legal standard, which is a very different thing.
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What’s one more settlement for Muskie?
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It SEEMS that way, but there’s no possibility that could actually be true- I mean, look how rich he is. So rich! End of argument, right?
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I mean, he does have a lot of money…so…He’s probably right? /s
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Why would there not be damage for retaliatory behavior? (If a lawyer found the time.)
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So much for Shotwell being the restraining influence and grown up at SpaceX.
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You’re not wrong–these cases can be very difficult to win. The question is whether or not a lawyer thinks they can win and/or get enough of a settlement out of SpaceX to make it worth their time.
If I were the potential plaintiffs here, though, I’d make sure that the lawyer is taking the case on contingency.
Wouldn’t it be awesome if every SpaceX employee quit en masse? Not just a strike, but a giant walkoff. So much for his little space jaunts!
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