Dear,

Elon Musk, founder and CEO of Tesla and Space X, is now neck and neck with
Jeff Bezos for wealthiest person in the world, with $160 billion in net
worth. (1)

He also seems to be in a race with Bezos to see who can best exploit their
workers and avoid community accountability.

Elon Musk has thus far escaped the public spotlight for putting his
workers at risk during COVID-19. That changes now.

[ [link removed] ]Will you sign our petition calling on the Tesla board to hold Musk
accountable?

In May 2020, Musk defied Alameda County’s shelter-in-place orders and
reopened the Tesla factory in Fremont with inadequate COVID-19 protections
for workers.(2)

By July, more than 130 Tesla workers tested positive for COVID-19, and
1,550 had been exposed (approximately 15% of the Fremont factory's
workforce).(3) Tesla terminated workers who did not want to return to the
line. By December, the number of reported cases was up to 450.(4)

This isn’t new: Musk has long tried to cover up the unsafe and unhealthy
working conditions in his factories, even going so far as to underreport
workplace injuries.(5)

Elon Musk has shown he doesn’t feel accountable to anyone, so it’s time we
put the pressure on him to stop exploiting Tesla’s workers and stop
bullying local governments for his own profit.

Two members of Tesla’s board of directors -- Kathleen Wilson-Thompson and
James Murdoch -- are seen as leaders with integrity and who seem to
believe in truth, public health, and the safety of workers. But it’s clear
they haven’t been able to rein in Musk, as he continues to put workers at
risk and spread misinformation about COVID-19. They should resign from the
board in protest and publicize Musk’s misdeeds.

[ [link removed] ]Sign a petition to call on Kathleen Wilson-Thompson and James Murdoch
to stop providing cover for Elon Musk and resign from Tesla’s board.

Stand with Tesla workers and send a message to Elon Musk that he can and
will be held accountable for profiting from worker exploitation.

We refuse to let billionaires and out-of-control corporate power defeat
workers’ rights.

In solidarity,

Irene, along with Angela, Annie, Caitlin, Deepthi, Jay, Lindsay,
LisaMarie, Molly, Raquel, and Scottie (the Courage team)

Footnotes:
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2.
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3.
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4.
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5.
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Courage California (formerly Courage Campaign) makes sure our democracy works for ALL of us by fighting corruption in California politics. We believe the solution lies in exposing and solving systemic problems through strategic organizing, enhancing coordination between progressive organizations, and mobilizing civic engagement from our communities, particularly voters of color, young voters, and self-identified progressives.

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