WERE COMPANY’S HIRING PRACTICES OUT OF THIS WORLD?
Space Exploration Technologies, a/k/a “SpaceX,” is alleged to have violated federal discrimination laws because it only hired U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents for positions at the company. And in litigation filed by the United States Justice Department, the agency contended that “no law, regulation, executive order or government contract required or permitted SpaceX to engage in the widespread discrimination against asylees or refugees.”
The lawsuit purports that the company:
- discouraged asylees and refugees from applying for open positions, through public announcements, job applications and other online recruiting communications that excluded asylees and refugees.
- failed to fairly consider applications submitted by asylees and refugees.
- refused to hire qualified asylee and refugee applicants and repeatedly rejected asylee and refugee applicants because of their citizenship status.
- hired only U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, from September 2018 to September 2020.
In a written statement, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, noted, “Our investigation found that SpaceX failed to fairly consider or hire asylees and refugees because of their citizenship status and imposed what amounted to a ban on their hire regardless of their qualification, in violation of federal law …. Our investigation also found that SpaceX recruiters and high-level officials took actions that actively discouraged asylees and refugees from seeking work opportunities at the company. Asylees and refugees have overcome many obstacles in their lives, and unlawful employment discrimination based on their citizenship status should not be one of them. Through this lawsuit we will hold SpaceX accountable for its illegal employment practices and seek relief that allows asylees and refugees to fairly compete for job opportunities and contribute their talents to SpaceX’s workforce.”
That was so other worldly ….
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