SpaceX has deeper issues with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
A US government agency has filed a complaint against the Elon Musk-owned company, alleging that SpaceX forced workers to sign illegal confidentiality and non-disparagement agreements as a condition of receiving severance pay.
The complaint, filed Wednesday evening, further alleges that SpaceX required employees to agree to take any legal disputes with the company to arbitration rather than in court, and they were not allowed to participate in class actions against the company, which the NLRB said is illegal .
SpaceX, the agency said in a statement, “interfered with, restricted, and coerced its employees to carry out [their] rights”. The complaint seeks to force the space company to terminate agreements and not enforce them for workers who have already signed them.
SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment Luck.
However, the company has made its views on the NLRB clear in the past. SpaceX sued the NLRB in early January, arguing that the agency’s structure is unconstitutional. Trader Joe’s and Amazon made similar statements.
SpaceX’s lawsuit against the NLRB comes a day after the employment agency accused SpaceX of illegally firing employees who wrote an open letter critical of Musk and creating the impression that the workers’ activities were being surveilled.
SpaceX has denied the allegations.
A hearing on the case filed in this regard took place earlier this month. It is expected that it will be months before a decision is made, possibly even a year.
If SpaceX does not agree to settle the latest complaint, the case will go before an NLRB administrative law judge in late October.