Musk's X illegally fired worker challenging office return says U.S. labor board

The U.S. labor board alledged that Elon Musk’s X fired an employee in retaliation for her internet posts challenging the company’s return-to-office polic

October 14, 2023 11:32 am | Updated 11:32 am IST

Musk completed his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter last October and began his ownership with a round of firings.

Musk completed his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter last October and began his ownership with a round of firings. | Photo Credit: Reuters

Elon Musk's X illegally fired an employee in retaliation for her internet posts challenging its return-to-office policy, the U.S. labor board alleged on Friday.

In the complaint, a regional director of the U.S. National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) accused X — formerly known as Twitter — of violating the federal law that prohibits punishing employees for communicating and organizing with others about their working conditions.

X did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

(For top technology news of the day, subscribe to our tech newsletter Today’s Cache)

The NLRB said the dispute began on Nov. 10, 2022, after Musk ordered workers back to the office last November and reportedly said "if you can physically make it to an office and you don't show up, resignation accepted".

Employee Yao Yue responded with a post on Twitter telling fellow workers, "Don't resign, let him fire you." A few days later, she was terminated in violation of the National Labor Relations Act, according to the complaint.

Musk completed his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter last October and began his ownership with a round of firings, including top executives, laying off more than half of its workforce as a cost-cutting measure.

The company is facing a series of lawsuits stemming from the layoffs, including claims that it targeted women and workers with disabilities and that it failed to pay promised severance to laid off employees.

The company has denied wrongdoing in the cases in which it has filed responses.

Top News Today

Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.