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Comment by drewrv | Hacker News Reader

He's not a freedom fighter sticking up for oppressed minorities here. He's a billionaire who is endangering his employees to make even more money. His employees are in a really bad situation right now, they get to choose between risking their livelihood or their health. He's forcing them to make this decision.

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This is false. Tesla's startup plan specifically states employees who choose to remain at home will not be penalized for doing so. If you do choose to return to Fremont, PPE will be provided and social distancing measures will be enforced. These measure were implemented and tested at the Shanghai Gigafactory.

https://www.tesla.com/blog/getting-back-work

https://www.tesla.com/sites/default/files/blog_attachments/T... (Warning: PDF)

> If you do choose to return to Fremont, PPE will be provided and social distancing measures will be enforced

This doesn't match what the workers themselves are saying:

https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/11/21254871/tesla-fremont-sh...

https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/12/21256665/tesla-reopens-ne...

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/may/12/tesla-wor...

> These measure were implemented and tested at the Shanghai Gigafactory

It's interesting. Elon's been keen on tweeting about American freedoms lately. I wonder when he'll do the same for Chinese freedoms.

They might not be penalized by Tesla directly or explicitly, but will they lose access to unemployment benefits if they have the opportunity to go back to work but elect not to? (This is a sincere question, I don't know the answer and wasn't immediately able to find one.)

It depends heavily on the interpretation of the CARES stimulus act [1], which provides requirements and guidance under what circumstances allow for unemployment benefits beyond the typical loss of employment. For example, if you are required to quarantine, are sick yourself from COVID, or need to provide care for someone else, you're eligible [2]. If this is a gap, it requires a legislative and fiscal policy fix.

[1] https://www.congress.gov/116/bills/hr748/BILLS-116hr748enr.p... (Warning: PDF)

[2] https://www.nytimes.com/article/coronavirus-stimulus-package... (Control-f "Unemployment Benefits")

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