Tesla workers drink energy drinks to keep up with production schedules
To meet the Model 3 production schedule, Tesla factory workers were provided with free Red Bull and forced to step directly through the factory’s raw wastewater streams so as not to disrupt production.
Anonymous employees told Bloomberg Businessweek that drinking a lot of energy drinks to fight exhaustion makes them look like lifeless people, or zombies, because they have to work 12-16 hours a day.
`They came with a vibrant spirit and full of energy. A few weeks passed and you would see them walking out of the factory with their eyes staring into space like zombies,` worker Mikey Catura told
Mikey Catura sitting on the left and Hai Nguyen standing next to the right pose in front of the Tesla factory in Fremont, California in August 2017.
Workers also say they are forced to step through untreated wastewater to ensure the line operates continuously.
`To us, nothing is more important than the safety of our workers. We’re not saying there aren’t any issues that need to be addressed at Tesla, or that nothing has been done wrong with the 40,000 workers. However, we are
A report from Reuters earlier this month said that Tesla employees had to work long hours in a pressured environment to achieve production targets for the Model 3 sedan. Some employees were forced to work shifts at the end of the month.
The news agency said Elon Musk yelled at engineers when the Model 3’s production schedule was interrupted.
Information about ‘undreamy’ working conditions inside the Tesla factory has leaked in recent years.
`I used to work in pain but didn’t let anyone know. I didn’t want to be fired,` Hai Nguyen told The Mercury News.
Despite their complaints, Hai Nguyen and other Tesla workers remain proud of the company’s mission.
A 2017 analysis by the nonprofit Worksafe found that serious injuries at Tesla’s factories in 2015 and 2016 were higher than the auto industry average.
Immediately afterwards, Tesla declared the report `a conscious, systematic attack by an extremist organization`.
Tesla is preparing to build its largest factory in China
