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Tesla workers’ unemployment may be suspended if they don't return, emails show
- londons_explore 6y agoWorkers are saying "please don't offer our jobs back because then we won't get unemployment benefits".
- gamblor956 6y agoUnemployment benefits in California are not generous. The maximum benefit is $450/week. That is less than the state's minimum wage. Assuming that you received UI for an entire year, that is only $23,400.
- battery_cowboy 6y agoPlus 600 a week through July from the federal government...
- londons_explore 6y ago$2100 per week of unemployment brought in by a couple, combined with almost zero travel/holiday/social costs, starts to sound like a pretty sweet deal though, considering you get to stay at home doing what you want and being creative rather than be in a stuffy factory.
- itsmeamario 6y agoWorkers are saying "please don't make us back to work during a once-in-a-century pandemic because it's unsafe and we don't wanna die"
- graycrow 6y agoWho and when should decide if it's safe or not?
- LarvaFX 6y agoFauci
- natch 6y ago43-second video of Dr. Fauci saying people should not wear masks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKZAxzT1j0c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKZAxzT1j0c Rhetorical question: Why was he saying that? Don't get me wrong, I am a fan of Dr. Fauci and his guidance has changed over time for a reason. But I am also a fan of looking at all angles of a situation and thinking for yourself, and Fauci is not here to see the situation in Fremont, nor is he entirely a straight shooter in all this since he is bending under pressure from different angles not to be.
- itsmeamario 6y agoDefinitely not Tesla nor any private company
- iso947 6y agoWhy is it unsafe in alameda but not in Fremont?
- DiogenesKynikos 6y agoFremont is in Alameda county.
- iso947 6y agoFine, I’m not intimate with local geography of California, you get the drift though. What is different about the place Tesla is in rather than the place other factories are in?
- DiogenesKynikos 6y agoMore cautious health authorities? More political support for suppressing transmission of the virus? The public health measures in Alameda county that Tesla violated apply broadly to most businesses there. The fact that other counties in the US have different health measures doesn't mean that Tesla is being singled out.
- Andaith 6y agoI'm a foreigner so I don't fully understand this, but here's my take: 1) Tesla is restarting the factory against local rules saying they can't, because their competition is in different localities with their local rules saying they can, and Tesla is at a disadvantage. 2) It's basically illegal for the workers to go to work, but Tesla is still insisting they do this? 3) the local council has said they won't do enforcement. 4) If the staff refuse (a potentially unsafe) order from Tesla to return to their jobs (to break the law) the govt will stop paying unemployment? So, my understanding, the workers have to potentially risk their health and break the law or the govt won't pay them unemployment? Have I made a mistake? That's a messed up situation for those workers. Does Cali do anything like suspended sentences(you get sentenced to prison, but you don't have to go, but if you do another crime you have to go for both durations)? Would this impact workers in that situation?
- kjksf 6y agoThere's no scenario in which the workers get charged with anything as they are not breaking any laws. If a health department finds that a restaurant is too dirty to operate, they don't jail the workers or the workers but fine or shutdown the restaurant. This is a similar kind of an order - the best county could do is to fine Tesla or shut them down.
- Dacod 6y agoIt's really not a similar situation. Refusing to social distance is illegal as it puts other people's lives in danger but working for a dirty restaurant is not and is not analogous this is in any way.
- natrik 6y agoSmoking and obesity put other people's lives in danger as well, whether it be due to second hand smoke or being a burden on the healthcare system and diverting resources. There have been countless discussions already about at risk groups and potential spread to them, QALY's, etc. What I want to get at is "social distancing" is arbitrary (6 feet?) and should not be forced. (I am unsure of your statement "Refusing to social distance is illegal...")
- hvasilev 6y agoYou either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain. That is going to be one hell of a villain.
- JackPoach 6y agoElon is playing with fire. This is punk mentality - let's get as close to self destruction as possible. It's OK to make decisions for yourself but health of others?
- jariel 6y agoThe fire he is playing with is Public Opinion. The first covid death - no matter why/who or how - will make the press and if he was saying 'mean things' ... it will be bad. This is a pandemic, people's lives are at risk, the only thing coming out of Musks' mouth should be how much he cares about his staff, how much he is doing to make sure they are safe, that they get 100% paid time off if they or their partners get covid, that it will be 'the safest factory in the world', testing for anyone who wants it - etc. etc. etc.. It's actually an opportunity for him to look like a 'Covid Leader' but he's going the Trump/Twitter/Constitutional-crowd style populism on this one. I think it's just a mistake not borne by any communications strategy, just an angry, frustrating, flinching twitter thumb. That's not a strategy it's just 'reacting'.
- taurath 6y agoHe’s certainly decided to become the bully.
- rcMgD2BwE72F 6y agoThe thing is, the Alameda County Public Health Department changed their policy now that they received Tesla's plan (that was posted to the company's blog when they announced the lawsuit), and is now allowing Tesla to augment their operation activities beyond the bare minimum, in preparation for a full reopening next week. I guess both parties will claim that they went ahead according to their original plans but somehow, Tesla will have been able to restart much sooner than Alameda County's goal. In that case, "playing with fire" would be fruitful, esp. if Alameda County pretend things went just fine.
- pjc50 6y agoThis depends on how much coronavirus ends up spreading among Tesla employees in the next weeks.
- buboard 6y agoNo judgement , but just a reminder that this is a company making expensive battery cars at a time when nobody's driving and oil prices are negative
- intev 6y agoNo presumption, but demand outstrips supply for teslas so they are always atleast a few months behind, and now probably much more.
- freepor 6y agoElon Musk is the guy who bets his house at the roulette table. It’s been working out for him so far but one day he’s going to step into some shit his money can’t get him out of and it’s going to be entirely his own fault.
- m463 6y agoOn Joe Rogan he said he was selling all his houses and will rent.
- Austin_Conlon 6y agoI only watched part of that interview, but it was cringeworthy how eager Joe Rogan was to try to impress him. He only seemed to agree with him that the response to COVID-19 is an overreaction without any pushback.
- m463 6y agoOn the other hand, Joe Rogan is a master interviewer. No matter what person he's interviewing, he manages to keep the conversation moving forward and the words flowing. This is also his second interview with Elon Musk, and the first one probably led to billions of dollars in market swings wrt tesla stock. and I wouldn't be surprised if the first interview probably gave him 10x the listeners.
- dang 6y agoYou've been using multiple accounts in ways that break the HN guidelines badly. We've banned several of these accounts. If you don't want to be banned, you're welcome to email hn@ycombinator.com and give us reason to believe that you'll follow the rules in the future. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
- freepor 6y agoNaw ban me. We’ll both be better off
- kjksf 6y agoIt's not like Tesla has a choice. From the e-mail: >Choosing not to report to work may eliminate or reduce your eligibility for unemployment depending on your state’s unemployment agency Tesla is not the one making the rules of unemployment benefits. They merely informing people of the rules. What is Tesla supposed to do: lie to the government about employment status of their employees? Pay them even if they don't work?
- pimple20 6y agoNot risk their employees' lives just to keep the Musk profit machine going? Let their workers stay safe while collecting unemployment benefit?
- natch 6y agoFalse dichotomy. Nobody is completely safe from the virus. There will be illnesses both in the factory, and outside it. It’s better that the workers have jobs, have an employer that stays in business, and have health care benefits for their families. If you want people to be safer, that is safer. But again nobody is completely safe. There are going to be cases whether people go to work or not. But the factory is arguably a safer environment than most homes for virus transmission. I’ve been there and it’s a pretty damn sterile place where viruses would not thrive imho. I realize it can stay viable for weeks on certain surfaces but I wouldn’t be surprised if the average surface in a home is more virus friendly than that factory. So, arguably safer.
- w3mmpp 6y agoI have a question: Where is her second leg?
- graycrow 6y agoMany other businesses of the same size are probably already doing or will do the same, but it is Tesla who is always disgraced in the media.
- itsmeamario 6y agoThey're all at fault. it's not just Tesla.
- evgen 6y agoI guess that is what happens when you are led by a douchebag narcissist who can't shut his fucking mouth for even five minutes (c.f. the USA).
- graycrow 6y agoAnd I think he is a genius and even a good things have their price.