After a few weeks of fighting Alameda County, Tesla seems to finally be in good standing with the local authorities, and it has now announced to employees that it is going back to normal, albeit with some changes.
Alameda County has officially approved Tesla’s plan to reopen its Fremont factory under the state’s guidelines for safe operations amid the pandemic, and the automaker has officially dropped its lawsuit, which was more symbolic than anything, against the county.
For the last two weeks, Tesla has been gradually calling employees back to work in California and Nevada.
Some workers are still afraid to head back to work, and Tesla has warned that they might lose their unemployment benefits if they refuse Tesla’s call back to work.
This has been somewhat controversial since Tesla started operating out of the Fremont factory without authorization by the local authorities, but it’s not the case anymore.
In a new email to employees obtained by CNBC yesterday, Tesla told employees that they are now officially allowed to return to “normal operations”:
Bay Area guidelines permit manufacturers to resume normal operations, and ease restrictions for retail, warehousing and other industries assuming all required safety precautions can be followed. This order, combined with the County’s prior approval of our Return to Work health and safety protocols, and improving health and safety data means California is getting back to work.
The automaker tells employees that it is reinstating its Attendance Policy with a few modifications to encourage workers to get back to work.
Tesla is attempting to quickly ramp production back up to its pre-shutdown level in order to deliver as many vehicles as possible by the end of the quarter, which has been greatly affected by the pandemic.
Here’s the email in full:
From: HR
To: Everyone-CA
Date: May 20, 2020
Subj. HR Update: May 20, 2020: Fremont Factory & Gigafactory Nevada
Hi Everyone,
On Monday, May 18, Bay Area health officials eased shelter-in-place restrictions as a result of sustained progress in the containment of Covid-19. Specifically, they cited favorable health data showing a trend in stabilizing or declining new Covid [sic] cases and hospitalizations, as well as an increase in testing. This is great news for the health of our community, and it’s exciting to begin the path to reopening some areas of the country.
Bay Area guidelines permit manufacturers to resume normal operations, and ease restrictions for retail, warehousing and other industries assuming all required safety precautions can be followed. This order, combined with the County’s prior approval of our Return to Work health and safety protocols, and improving health and safety data means California is getting back to work.
Specifically, this means a few important updates for Fremont Factory as well as Gigafactory Nevada:
1. We’ll be reinstating our Attendance Policy this Friday, May 22 with a new provision:
*If an employee does not want to come to work out of concern that they might expose an at-risk member of their household, HR will provide the employee with a document the employee can sign and submit to confirm their situation and receive Unpaid Leave until May 31.
*If you are under Tesla-or doctor- directed quarantine, are sick with Covid [sic] symptoms, or have tested positive for Covid [sic], you are not subject to the Attendance Policy and should continue to stay home. Please notify your manager and a Benefits team member will contact you to discuss Covid-19 Paid Leave of Covid-19 Exposure Paid Leave.
2. Premium pay will continue through May 31 for those who are eligible in appreciation for your work during this challenging time.
3. All health and safety precautions must continue to be followed, and we will be implementing additional checks and audits to ensure these policies are being followed.
This email only applies to our production workforce and production-related office workers at our Fremont operations in Alameda County and Gigafactory Nevada. Those who can continue to work from home, should do so. In some areas of the country, additional restrictions continue and therefore please only report to work if your manager, HR partners or another Tesla representative has called you back to work.
Thank you all for your continued diligence in helping to keep our Tesla team safe and healthy. Please continue to reach out to [Ed: e-mail redacted] with your HR-related questions.
Thank You Team!
Valerie Capers Workman | North America HR+ EMEA & AU/NZ/JP/KR
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