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.

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.

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:
1. https://www.forbes.com/profile/elon-musk/?sh=27a9ceca7999
2. https://www.businessofbusiness.com/articles/at-least-130-tesla-employees-have-tested-positive-for-covid-19-musk-has-stayed-mute/
3. https://www.businessofbusiness.com/articles/at-least-130-tesla-employees-have-tested-positive-for-covid-19-musk-has-stayed-mute/
4. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/03/12/hundreds-covid-cases-reported-tesla-plant-following-musks-defiant-reopening-county-data-shows/
5. https://revealnews.org/article/tesla-says-its-factory-is-safer-but-it-left-injuries-off-the-books/