A former worker of Elon Musk’s SpaceX is suing the corporate for allegedly firing him over frequent lavatory use attributable to a continual medical situation. In accordance with The Independednt, Douglas Altshuler, 58, claims he was mistreated and in the end terminated due to Crohn’s illness — a gastrointestinal sickness that usually requires pressing and repeated visits to the bathroom.
Altshuler, who joined SpaceX in 2023, filed a federal lawsuit in California final week. In it, he says he wanted to make use of the lavatory each 35 to 45 minutes throughout his eight-hour shifts, generally as much as 14 occasions a day. In accordance with the criticism, he supplied medical documentation to elucidate his situation, however supervisors began monitoring the period of his rest room breaks and warned him to not exceed 10 minutes per go to.
He alleges he was threatened with termination if his lavatory use continued. When he requested administration for official lodging beneath incapacity rights, he claims the request was rejected as “unsubstantiated.” He was finally dismissed on grounds of “poor efficiency,” which he believes was retaliation for each his situation and for reporting unsafe office practices.
Altshuler, who joined SpaceX in 2023, filed a federal lawsuit in California final week. In it, he says he wanted to make use of the lavatory each 35 to 45 minutes throughout his eight-hour shifts, generally as much as 14 occasions a day. In accordance with the criticism, he supplied medical documentation to elucidate his situation, however supervisors began monitoring the period of his rest room breaks and warned him to not exceed 10 minutes per go to.
He alleges he was threatened with termination if his lavatory use continued. When he requested administration for official lodging beneath incapacity rights, he claims the request was rejected as “unsubstantiated.” He was finally dismissed on grounds of “poor efficiency,” which he believes was retaliation for each his situation and for reporting unsafe office practices.
Altshuler’s lawsuit additionally accuses SpaceX of denying him meal breaks, underpaying him, and exposing workers to unsafe situations. He described one incident the place machine elements have been dried in the identical kitchen the place workers cooked meals.
The Mayo Clinic defines Crohn’s illness as a type of inflammatory bowel illness (IBD) that causes irritation and swelling within the tissues of the digestive tract.
