SpaceX faces hearing on engineers fired after criticizing Elon Musk over sexism

A U.S. labor board judge on Tuesday held a hearing in a case accusing rocket maker SpaceX of illegally firing eight engineers for criticizing CEO Elon Musk and accusing him of sexist conduct in a letter to company executives.

The case before National Labor Relations Board Administrative Law Judge Sharon Steckler in Los Angeles prompted SpaceX to file a lawsuit in January seeking to block it from going forward by claiming the board’s in-house enforcement proceedings violate the U.S. Constitution.

Starbucks, Amazon and Trader Joe’s, all of which are facing nationwide union organizing campaigns, have raised similar arguments in pending board cases. If any of the companies are successful, it could severely limit the agency’s ability to hear cases involving allegations of illegal labor practices.

The NLRB’s general counsel, which acts as a prosecutor, claims SpaceX violated U.S. labor law by firing the engineers in 2022 after they circulated a letter accusing Musk of sexist conduct and claiming the company tolerated discrimination against women. SpaceX is accused of violating the National Labor Relations Act, which protects workers’ rights to band together and advocate for better working conditions.