California isn’t known for its auto plants, but Fremont-based Tesla Motors is making it’s mark on the state and the region. The Tesla factory has capacity to produce 100,000 vehicles a year, and demand is so strong that founder Elon Musk plans to grow the plant to five times its current size.
But, as Mercury News investigative reporter Lou Hansen discovered, this growth doesn’t come without some costs. Last year, a serious workplace injury at Tesla revealed a common practice in the American auto industry. The company was using underpaid and overworked contract labor to expand its factory.
LOU HANSEN: Behind every luxury product is a lot of hard work, and not all of that work is going to be well paid.
Click the audio player above to listen to the complete interview.