Tesla claims fired New York employees were low performers

Tesla had a chance to explain its side of the story that we have recently reported. The company let go of 27 employees at its Giga New York but it was met with a backlash when it transpired that some of the workers were fired in apparent retaliation for union activity.

According to the complaint filed by those who lost their jobs, they were let go a day after they sent a letter of intent to set up workers unions at the factory. At first it all seemed as if Tesla took yet again a swift action against any unionizing attempts despite officially not having anything against it.

The company has responded now , trying to put the events in a different light. Although the response was expected, the explanation paints a slightly different picture.

Tesla claims the 27 workers that were fired were low performers - that was the expected angle. But the company explained it does performance reviews every 6 months at its every facility and every worker gets a grading between 1 and 5. Those on the lowest grading are given time to improve and if no change happens, they are eventually let go.

The recent performance review was closed on December 22 last year and workers facing the cut were informed and given time to improve. Apparently, on February 3 the company identified a group of employees who were going to lose their jobs. Managers were told back in December that the low performers will start exiting on February 12. Tesla claims it had no idea that one - only one - of those was the signatory of the letter sent to the management.

Tesla’s explanation adds a different perspective. The workers knew they were going to lose their jobs and should have been told that in advance. The suggestion here is that they sent the letter of intent to set up workers unions knowing very well they were facing a chop. The letter was sent on February 14 - 11 days after the group of 27 employees were apparently told they were losing their jobs.

If the events did unfold as Tesla claims they did, it seems the workers decided to set up unions, or at least attempt to, in response to the threat of losing jobs. There is nothing wrong with that but the timing is off and their attempts to paint the firings as retaliatory are what’s troubling. This of course depends on the fact that Tesla’s story is true.

Arian Berek, who lost his job on Wednesday, was one of the signatories of that infamous letter. Tesla claims he was let go because of his low performance but he claims he had no warning. According to his story, he was ill with Covid, when he came back to work he was told his performance was exceeding expectations only to lose his job on Wednesday.

This story will rumble on, proverbial knives are out unfortunately and the dirty laundry will be done in the public view. Which side is telling the truth? Truth is usually buried somewhere in the middle but whatever the outcome here, it will leave an unpleasant taste for a very long time.

Via