Cristy, who worked as a cleaner on Tesla’s site in Austin, at the Workers Defense Project office.
Photographer: Sergio Flores for Bloomberg BusinessweekThe Undocumented Workers Who Helped Build Elon Musk’s Texas Gigafactory
Tesla and SpaceX both relied on their labor while Musk advocated for a border crackdown.
Cristy was in her early 50s when she took a job with a cleaning subcontractor on a construction project, reporting for 12-hour shifts vacuuming, mopping floors and scrubbing toilets. Despite her exposure to dust and other debris, most days she wasn’t provided with gloves, face masks or other personal protective gear, and she had only limited access to water. The shifts included two 15-minute breaks and a half-hour lunch, with managers keeping strict watch on the time. Workers who were tempted to complain had to mind the threat of deportation.
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