A former safety director at auto manufacturer Tesla claims he was fired for bringing workplace safety concerns to management’s attention. Tesla claims he was fired for bullying other employees.
In a lawsuit first reported by Jalopnik, Carlos Ramirez alleges that he went to management with safety concerns about fire hazards, inadequate medical treatment for employees who were injured on the job and workplace injuries that were inaccurately reported.
Ramirez was subsequently fired, over what he says were false accusations of bullying.
According to the lawsuit, Ramirez worked as director of environmental, health, safety, and sustainability from February 2017 to June 2017.
A Tesla representative told Business Insider that Ramirez was fired for engaging in “harassing workplace behavior” that was aimed at intimidating his co-workers. The company said Ramirez made inappropriate comments about women.
Tesla has been accused in a report by Center for Investigative Reporting of underreporting and misreporting injuries at its Fremont, California factory. Tesla has said the report was the work of an “extremist organization” that was trying to organize a union at the plant.