As Tesla hopes its $35,000 Model 3 will boost demand, its Fremont factory is grappling with a more dubious claim to fame: It has been the target of more investigations into workplace safety than its rivals' main U.S. auto plants in the past half decade
threaten to strengthen a push for unionization at Fremont, which Musk opposes, and to increase legal and other expenses at a time when the company is struggling to lower costs to reach consistent profitability.
Reports of strains on Tesla’s workers coincided with Musk’s relentless push in 2018 to produce more Model 3s, the relatively affordable sedan whose anticipated sales volume underpins Tesla’s $55 billion market cap. The intense ramp-up that Tesla undertook from late 2017 through the first half of 2018 to fulfill its goal to make 5,000 Model 3s a week famously prompted Musk to logFor many workers building the Model 3, that meant frequent 10-hour shifts and weekend work.
She’s been aided by Keith Champion, who spent about 18 years at Toyota and has been overhauling training for new hires to help reduce injuries and boost efficiency. Four years ago, new Tesla workers got much of their training on the job. Days of training on how to operate the heavy machines without getting hurt, which experts say is key to preventing many assembly line injuries, have helped improved safety—but Tesla’s routine still lags peers like Toyota, reflecting Musk’s early vision of focusing on robotics rather than human workers to build his all-electric cars. This has forced Tesla to play catch-up to an industry it’s been accustomed to leading.
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