First Uber, Now Tesla Faces Lawsuit Over Alleged Sexual Discrimination

The public perception of what it’s like to work for Tesla seemingly went from bad to worse this week.

A.J. Vandermeyden, a female Tesla employee still working for the electric vehicle manufacturer, claims in a lawsuit she was discriminated against because she’s a female, and penalized when she filed a complaint with the company, USA TODAY reports. Vandermeyden’s lawsuit was filed last fall, but gained notoriety Tuesday upon the publication of an interview she gave to The Guardian.

“It’s shocking in this day and age that this is still a fight we have to have,” Vandermeyden told The Guardian.

Tesla isn’t alone in recently dealing with these types of allegations. Uber CEO Travis Kalanick is facing accusations of sexism and of creating a “baller” culture around the company, according to USA TODAY. The issues prompted the company launch an investigation into its own practices.

As for Vandermeyden, her claims against Telsa include being paid a lower salary than men as well as being whistled at by male workers, according to USA TODAY. Additionally, she claims her male colleagues, not her, were promoted when she found solutions to vehicle quality control issues.

Tesla responded to the suit in a statement provided to USA TODAY, saying Vandermeyden, despite not having an engineering degree, ascended quickly in the company.

“Even after she made her complaints of alleged discrimination, she sought and was advanced into at least one other new role,” Tesla said in the statement.

Vandermeyden’s attorney Therese Lawless told USA TODAY her client is seeking a higher pay grade given her skill set, as well as back pay and damages for emotional distress. Citing a non-disclosure agreement signed all its workers must sign, Tesla reportedly is pushing to move the case to binding arbitration, which Lawless claims violates employee rights.

“We’re challenging Tesla’s employee confidentiality agreement, which is very broad and says that employees can’t talk about anything they experience or see at Tesla,” Lawless told USA TODAY. “It’s absurd. That’s fine regarding trade secrets, but it’s illegal to prohibit people from talking about working conditions for their pay.”

While unrelated, the lawsuit is the latest blow for Tesla, which had a rough past few weeks. Monday its stock dropped Monday amid concerns over potential delivery delays, and it’s dealing with an ongoing unionization movement among its workers.

Thumbnail photo via Flickr/Steve Jurvetson