"I wish the world knew that Tesla's employees were treated like this by an arbitrator."Arbitration UnveiledMelvin Berry, a former employee of Tesla, was awarded more than $1 million at an arbitration hearing in January after he complained about racism harassment at work. His direct supervisor called him the N-word, and then punished him with harder work and longer hours for speaking up about it.This rare victory for workers, who often have their cards stacked against themselves by forced arbitration clauses that prohibit them from taking out public-facing legal action against their employers, was not reported until Bloomberg News discovered it. Tesla employees complained for years about discrimination, slurs, hate speech and even swastika graffiti in their workplace.Berry shared with Bloomberg News that a Tesla arbitrator had found it to be unfair.Toxic CultureArbitrator Elaine Rushing ruled that there was no evidence Berry quit after 18 months, suffered from panic attacks, depression and anxiety, and was harassed.AdvertisementAdvertisementAlthough racial discrimination awards are not common, it appears that this case was particularly difficult-fought, Cliff Palefsky (an employment lawyer who wasn't involved in the case) told Bloomberg News. Rushing was, he said, clearly disturbed by the facts and culture of the company as well as the tone of defense.Tesla denied the allegations, pointing to statements the company had made in the past denouncing discrimination and harassment in all forms. Bloomberg News reports that Tesla claimed Berry was not owned more than $148 after he left the company.This case highlights the difficulties of workplaces mandating arbitration to prevent harassment and discrimination lawsuits. Bloomberg News reports that while companies have stopped mandating arbitration in sexual harassment cases, it is still common for racial discrimination claims. This is illustrated by Berry's case and courtroom victory, which was made public only because Berry's attorney filed a court document to enforce his arbitrators order.READ MORE: Ex Tesla Employee Called Racial Slur Wins Rare $1M Award [Bloomberg News]AdvertisementAdvertisementContinue reading: Tesla Must Face Three Problems Before It Can Be the Company of the Future
