The aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company, SpaceX, is currently the defendant in two different wrongful termination lawsuits. These lawsuits have been successfully brought by ex-employees alleging wrongful termination. These lawsuits were recently removed to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, after their initial filing in Los Angeles County Superior Court. They accuse the company of putting speed and cost-cutting above all else, making it an unsafe place to work and retaliating against workers who speak out about safety issues.
The lawsuits arrived amid a series of other major recent and ongoing internal changes at SpaceX. In late 2022, the company brought on 28-year-old Scott Hiler as a senior manager. At the same time, 60-year-old David Lavalle, who’d worked for SpaceX since 2014, was fired just nine days after he filed for medical leave for crippling pain from gout in his knees. Lavalle’s health problems ranged from a broken bass, debilitating cervical radiculopathy, thoracodorsal and cervical muscular injuries, and radiocarpal disorder. He had previously filed for workers’ compensation for at least some of those injuries. He never filed on any of them because he was afraid he’d be retaliated against.
SpaceX fired Robert Markert, a 13-year veteran of the company, this past April. Markert went on to describe some troubling issues with the rocket fairing recovery process. Without fail, he warned that was far too easily leading to serious injury and even fatality. The lawsuits claim SpaceX officials rejected these red flags, going with “the cheaper option.”
Both Markert and Lavalle have made the case that SpaceX put production speed and cost savings ahead of employee safety. Lavalle’s experience is illustrative of that feeling. During contract negotiations over work schedules, Supervisors informed him that “the schedule is priority number one.” Both ex-workers focused on the dangerous working environment created by SpaceX. Technicians had routinely suffered through marathon stretches, sometimes working 15–20 days in a row without appropriate time off.
Taken together, the lawsuits provide a shocking lens into the internal culture at SpaceX. They shed light on how the relentless pressure for faster production schedules can cut corners with safety measures and employee health. The objections focus in particular on specific instances where employees believe their health priorities were overlooked in favor of bottom line interests.
In reaction to these allegations, SpaceX has avoided commenting on the particular details of the lawsuit as it pertains to their company. The company has stuck to its promise to put safety first, all the while driving innovation and efficiency in its coal operations.
“the schedule comes first” – Markert’s supervisor
“easily cause serious injury or death” – Robert Markert
“it was the more economical solution” – SpaceX leaders
“there is no time for that and the company would not spend money on it” – Markert’s supervisor
