The former workers allege that SpaceX terminated their employment for participating in “concerted protected activities.” Those protected activities included putting together an open letter in June that alleged SpaceX’s “current systems and culture do not live up to its stated values.” According to a copy of the letter attached to one of the complaints, the former employees claim Musk’s public comments were a “frequent source of distraction and embarrassment for us.” SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment, nor has it responded to routine requests from reporters in years.“I hope that this … claim will demonstrate that no one is above the law, and empower SpaceXers to continue to speak up and fight for a better, more equitable workplace,” Moline said in a statement.… Embrace the ideas of your fellow workers, especially when they differ greatly from yours.” In the weeks leading up to the letter, Musk posted tweets that mocked newly surfaced reports that he exposed himself to a female flight attendant on a private jet (he also called the allegations “untrue”); suggested creating a university with the acronym “TITS”; made sexual jokes at the expense of Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos and a US senator; appeared to pillory the use of pronouns and gay pride flags during pride month; posted a meme that dismissed the idea that “mansplaining” exists and another that compared the Canadian prime minister to Hitler.“It’s shocking that SpaceX appears to believe that its mission of getting humans to Mars justifies turning a blind eye to workers’ basic civil rights,” Burgess said.“I’m proud to represent the brave employees who stepped up to challenge SpaceX’s conduct by collectively advocating for basic workplace protections.” When an NLRB claim is filed, the board launches its own investigations of the claims that includes “interviewing witnesses and requesting documents,” Anne Shaver, a San Franciso-based employment attorney representing the eight former SpaceX workers, told CNN."