Tesla Staffers Claim They Were Fired for Using Maternity and Sick Leave

Former staffers at Tesla claim they were fired for taking maternity and sick leave, and current workers say the company uses an attendance point system to deter them from taking days off. The Guardian reports one case when a worker found out she was pregnant in July and informed management she planned on taking maternity leave in February. However, in December, 28 weeks into her pregnancy, she was fired. Another worker, who had four children and was more than five months into another pregnancy, was fired after she used time off offered to her by colleagues from their own leave days to help her with childcare. Workers also allegedly face termination if they build up 4.5 attendance points in a six-month period, which are reportedly handed out at the discretion of supervisors. Tesla said there were justified reasons for all the firings reported by The Guardian, and denied their attendance policy penalized workers taking time off.