Latest news with #understaffing
The Independent
2 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Exclusive: SpaceX employee claims he was fired for flagging ‘despicable' safety practices that put lives at risk
A former SpaceX supervisor is accusing the company of 'despicable conduct' regarding its safety practices, claiming, among other things, that chronic understaffing was resulting in serious injuries where overworked employees were 'too fearful to report.' In a scathing civil lawsuit filed initially in state court and removed to Los Angeles federal court last Friday, Robert Markert describes raising 'strong concerns' about revising a technical process that could 'easily cause serious injury or death.' However, Markert's complaint contends, SpaceX opted to keep things as-is because it was 'more economical.' Markert, who spent nearly 14 years at SpaceX before he was fired, oversaw a team of 16 technicians responsible for retrieving the company's rockets upon their return to Earth and preparing them for reuse. His complaint claims SpaceX refused to dial back a dangerously jam-packed launch schedule, forced people to work up to three weeks in a row without a break and skimped on vital instructional programs in an attempt to save money. When Markert, 37, voiced his concerns to management, he claims he was told that 'the schedule comes first,' according to his complaint. When he tried to schedule days off for his crew, Markert was 'chastised [by] his leadership team,' the complaint alleges. And when Markert flagged a crucial manpower shortage on the ships SpaceX uses to fetch spacecraft at sea, he says he was told he 'needed to bring solutions, not problems.' In one instance, Markert suggested to higher-ups that SpaceX 'needed to prioritize' more training sessions for workers to get properly certified in certain areas, according to the complaint. But, it maintains, he was told that 'there is no time for that and the company would not spend the money on it.' The privately-held commercial launch services company founded and controlled by Elon Musk, the world's richest person, expects to book revenues this year of more than $15 billion. Markert was let go this spring by SpaceX, which has seen four of its rockets explode so far in 2025. His complaint argues his termination was due in part to his criticisms of the company's safety shortcomings. Reached by phone, Markert referred The Independent to his attorney, who was traveling Monday and unable to comment. SpaceX officials, along with the outside lawyers defending SpaceX against Markert's claims, did not respond to requests for comment. Last year, Musk moved the 13,000-strong firm's headquarters from California to Texas, amid a feud with 'woke' Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat. Markert worked at a SpaceX facility in Hawthorne, California, about 20 miles south of Los Angeles. SpaceX has faced other recent lawsuits filed by ex-employees who felt they, too, had been wronged on the job. Earlier this month, a Black materials inspector at the same plant as Markert sued SpaceX after being fired for tardiness, which he alleged was overlooked if the offender happened to be white. In May, a SpaceX worker in Washington State who suffered from Crohn's disease filed a lawsuit against the company, claiming his supervisors timed his bathroom breaks and wrote him up if he spent more than 10 minutes on the toilet. (Crohn's can cause urgent, often uncontrollable, bowel movements.) Markert's complaint says he was 'well liked by his peers, and consistently received positive performance reviews.' At the same time, Markert 'frequently brought up safety and labor concerns,' according to the complaint. Concerned about the unforced errors that fatigued employees tend to make, Markert informed his bosses that 'several technicians were being required to work sometimes 15 to 20 days in a row without a day off,' and that others were denied rest periods during their shifts, the complaint states. According to the complaint, SpaceX management told Markert that 'the schedule comes first.' If he tried to schedule a day off for an exhausted underling, Markert would be 'chastised' by his supervisors. And when Markert tried to persuade SpaceX to add more bodies to his team, the complaint says he was 'shut down.' '[Markert] informed his senior leadership that many of the technicians were being overworked as they were not staffing enough technicians on ships,' the complaint goes on. 'This resulted in technicians doing multiple duties simultaneously in a high stress and extremely dangerous environment which resulted in injuries that technicians were too fearful to report. After voicing concerns to leadership, [Markert] was frequently told he needed to bring solutions, not problems. However, when [Markert] suggested more technicians, he was denied.' If SpaceX wouldn't hire more technicians, Markert 'suggested they dial back on the mission manifest,' but was 'told the Vice President of Launch would never allow that,' according to the complaint. In early 2025, it says Markert raised 'strong concerns' about a process involving the recovery of rocket fairings he considered extremely unsafe, and one he believed could seriously injure, or even kill, somebody. He recommended the company create a new system to reduce the risk, the complaint states. 'The company decided not to act on the issue and kept the… process as it was because it was the more economical solution,' according to the complaint. Markert's tenure at SpaceX came to an end in April 2025, which he claims was retaliation for consistently flagging safety problems, as well as an apparently confounding issue with one of his subordinates. In early 2024, Markert agreed to hire a SpaceX employee from the East Coast, who had filed a discrimination complaint against her previous team and was looking for a 'fresh start,' the complaint explains. It says the transfer employee complained frequently to Markert about coworkers underperforming or misbehaving. He took her grievances seriously, and duly brought them to human resources, but they often turned out to be exaggerated or even fabricated, according to the complaint. A year later, on the transfer employee's last day with SpaceX, she filed a discrimination report against someone on Markert's team, his complaint says. An investigation substantiated the claims, which are not laid out in the complaint, and on April 2, 2025, Markert was fired. When he asked what he had done wrong, the SpaceX HR reps told Markert they 'could not share any details,' according to the complaint. Markert was informed he was eligible for rehire elsewhere at SpaceX, but claims HR quietly made sure there were no takers. Adding insult to injury, Markert – whose complaint describes him as a 'lifer' who hoped to retire from SpaceX – forfeited more than $3.5 million in as-yet unvested SpaceX equity that would have become his over the next six years. Additionally, Markert says he lost out on at least $1,219,457 in lost salary and benefits, and at least $1,172,287 in future lost equity. Markert's complaint argues that he 'engaged in the protected activities of raising safety and labor concerns and reporting discrimination on behalf of a subordinate and participating in the subsequent investigation,' yet 'suffered the adverse employment actions of retaliatory termination.' He is now seeking compensatory damages, special damages, and general damages totaling $5,966,214, plus punitive damages to be determined by a jury. In a response filed prior to moving the case from state to federal court, SpaceX argued that Markert was an 'at-will employee' and claimed he was 'terminated for legitimate, non-discriminatory and non-retaliatory reasons.' The company further says it has made 'a good faith effort to comply with all applicable anti-discrimination and retaliation laws,' and that it does not owe punitive damages because it has 'not engaged in any alleged conduct with malice or reckless indifference to the protected rights of any aggrieved individual.' SpaceX does not owe Markert any other damages, its response argues, claiming 'such damages, if any, are too speculative to be recoverable at law.'
RNZ News
7 days ago
- Health
- RNZ News
Nelson Hospital review reveals 'nothing of substance'
A review of Nelson Hospital highlights long wait times, understaffing and ageing infrastructure, but cancer survivor and patient advocate Daniel Walker says those issues have been obvious for years. Photo: RNZ / Samantha Gee A cancer survivor says a review into Nelson Hospital is "unacceptable" and has found "nothing of substance". The report released on Wednesday highlights long wait times, understaffing and ageing infrastructure, but cancer survivor and patient advocate Daniel Walker said those issues had been obvious for years and were what prompted the review in the first place . He said it was disappointing the report didn't offer solutions to those problems. "I'm incredibly disappointed by it, they basically have had four months to go away and investigate these things that we have been highlighting and they've come back with really nothing of substance or surprise," he said. Walker said he wanted to make sure Nelson Hospital's management would be held accountable to solve the issues the report had identified. "One of the [important] things is actually having accountability for their management team, having a plan in place they have to stick to. So if they want to staff it properly, give the details so people can manage their expectations." He also suggested Nelson Hospital, and others like it, consider hiring patient advocates. "I think there needs to be a patient advocacy service at each hospital," Walker said. "So there's somebody there who can go in and find out the information they need and advocate on behalf of the patient." That was a service Walker said he had longed for while battling cancer. "I was in the middle of chemotherapy and I had to fight for my own healthcare, and so if there was someone whose role was there to advocate on behalf of the patients, that means I could focus on my health and wellbeing." Daniel Walker said the lack of any clear recommendations from the report was disappointing. "There's no clear plan. Basically, from what I've read of the report, they [say they] want to plan or they need to investigate further, but there's no timeline for that. They've left it very open," he said. "So we're still stuck in the same position we were four months ago ... And that's unacceptable for us in Nelson and for New Zealand as a whole." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
BBC News
20-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Coroner's concerns over Cumberland Infirmary staff shortages
A coroner has raised concerns that a woman's death in hospital may be linked to an "understaffed and under pressure" coroner for Cumbria Margaret Taylor issued a prevention of future deaths report to the trust which runs the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle, following the death of a document urges the North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust (NCIC) to take action after it emerged nurses were looking after 10 patients each instead of the expected six on the day Sarah Kathleen Hill trust said it "fully accepted" the coroner's findings and had implemented "learning points" raised in the report. The report said Mrs Hill, 78, had been admitted to hospital last November with gallstones, but a procedure to remove them only partly became increasingly unwell in the following days and collapsed while going to the same day she had an unwitnessed fall "at a time when she was meant to be closely observed", Ms Taylor said in her Hill became unresponsive and died the day after the fall. 'Understaffing not unusual' An inquest into her death held last month concluded she died as a result of "recognised complications of a necessary medical procedure".Ms Taylor said the evidence heard "revealed matters giving rise to concern about the standard of nursing care" that Mrs Hill raised concerns about the patient being left alone in a side room where she could not easily be checked on, adding there was a lack of evidence to suggest a falls risk assessment had been undertaken and a lack of frequent recorded observations warranted by Mrs Hill's Taylor added: "I was advised that the ward was understaffed and under pressure."She said although understaffing had been flagged, no help arrived on the ward."The evidence presented to me was that this was not an unusual situation on the ward," she said.A spokesman for NCIC offered their condolences to Mrs Hill's family."We fully accept the findings from the coroner and have implemented the learning points raised in the report," they trust must respond to the coroner's concerns by 22 July, detailing which actions it intends to take to address them. Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
CBS News
11-06-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Days after Colorado Safeway employees authorize strike, the wait continues
Unionized employees at Safeway voted to authorize strike, but must give 72 hours notice before Unionized employees at Safeway voted to authorize strike, but must give 72 hours notice before Unionized employees at Safeway voted to authorize strike, but must give 72 hours notice before Several days after unionized Safeway store employees voted to authorize a strike, the wait continues on what will happen next. Last week, employees voted overwhelmingly to approve a strike but they must give 72 hours' notice before the strike begins. That hasn't happened yet. The union representing workers sent a request for a "safe shutdown procedure," which is one of the final steps before a labor strike. CBS The union said they're demanding Albertson's, the parent company of Safeway, to address understaffing. Safeway's most recent statement reads, "We respect the rights of workers to engage in collective bargaining and are negotiating in good faith to reach an agreement that is fair to our employees... good for our customers... and allows our company to remain competitive." Safeway workers are threatening a strike at the same time contract negotiations between unionized employees and King Soopers are reaching a tipping point. King Soopers and its workers have been operating under a temporary agreement since February that expired on June 8. The union said no new agreement has been reached. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser released this statement: I stand with union workers at Safeway, Albertsons and King Soopers who are asking for fair working conditions, better pay, and for management to stick to its agreement on workers' health care and pension benefits. During a statewide listening tour I did on the now failed grocery megamerger between King Soopers and Safeway, workers told me that understaffing had created unsafe working conditions and a bad shopping experience for customers. Protecting workers was one of the main reasons I sued to block the merger, and I'll join workers on the picket line if they strike.
Daily Mail
26-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Report: Target staff fear job losses amid sales slump
Published: | Updated: Another wrote: 'All we can do is ride it out and hope for the best. If it comes down to it, prepare a resume just in case.' Several workers have also posted TikTok videos showing backrooms overwhelmed with merchandise that hasn't made it to the sales floor — alleging that understaffing is leaving them buried. 'I hope these go viral so the corporate people might rethink how they unstaffed their stores and expect spotless departments,' one employee commented on a video showing mounds of backroom clothing. Target hasn't responded to request for comment on the employee predictions and complaints. But two days ago, the company released its quarterly earnings, which badly missed Wall Street's expectations. 'Target has found itself in a challenging position,' Neil Saunders, a retail expert at GlobalData, told 'The business is not terrible, but it is under pressure and that is causing nervousness among associates.' Fewer shoppers went into Target stores during the last quarter, and when they did, they spent less money. The company reported $23.85 billion in sales during the last quarter, a 2.8 percent drop from the previous three-month period. Analysts predicted the store would make $24.23 billion. So far this year, Target's share price has shed over 31 percent. 'I want to be clear, we're not satisfied with these results, so we're moving with urgency to navigate through this period of volatility,' Target CEO Brian Cornell said. 'We've got to drive traffic back into our stores or visits to our site.' The company also announced that it was paring back its financial outlook for 2025, signaling it believes a recovery might take a while. Target isn't in dire financial shape. The company made $5 billion in profit last year, and is still raking in money. But it's wobbles are in stark contrast to its biggest competitor, Walmart, which has reported gigantic sales figures. 'Underlying profit at Target is squeezed and that makes it more likely the company will be cautious in hiring and tight in the labor hours it allocates,' Saunders added. 'That makes staff worry for their own jobs. All of this is exacerbated because communication from management has, generally, been poor.' Target is dealing with other non-employment headwinds, too. Cornell joined Walmart and Home Depot's CEOs in a private White House meeting, warning President Donald Trump that his tariff regime threatened to deplete product availability and increase prices on consumers . The company has publicly warned that tariffs will slash billions from profits, making it harder to continue business investments. 'They have cancelled some remodels,' one Target employee claimed on Reddit. Another added: 'Sales are so low I would be shocked if it doesn't close sooner rather than later.' Plus, the brand is facing customer anger from both right- and left-leaning shoppers. Target walked back diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in a pitch to appease the Trump administration. Conservatives have been boycotting the brand over Pride Month collections that included bathing suits for trans swimmers . Meanwhile, Target has already silently started increasing prices on products made in other countries. It's a particularly difficult time to balance higher prices in the US economy. Consumer confidence has slumped for five consecutive months , with shoppers reporting fears over continued inflation. American shoppers have been smacked with increasingly lofty grocery prices after the inflation rate peaked over 9 percent in 2022. Still, the overall economy has remained resilient despite the price hikes. American jobs have remained surprisingly steady and the average wage has continued with slow growth.
