Elon Musk’s American PAC Hit With Class Action Law

Elon Musk’s America PAC and several other defendants, including the re-election campaign of Representative Michelle Steel, Republican of California, are accused of violating California labor laws in a class-action lawsuit filed in Orange County on Oct. 30, according to court documents obtained by WIRED. .

The plaintiffs, Tamiko Anderson and Patricia Kelly, sued Steel in October of this year, according to the lawsuit, alleging that they were not paid the agreed wages. America PAC was named because it provided Steel’s campaign resources.

Plaintiffs also sued for alleged failure to reimburse business expenses and alleged provision of inaccurate wage statements. The lawsuit seeks class certification of all current and former non-exempt employees of the Steel campaign from October 30, 2023 to the present.

The allegations are separate from those reported by WIRED earlier this week, in which Michigan campaigners said they were tricked and intimidated as part of an effort by Elon Musk and America PAC to get out the vote for Donald Trump. The knockers, who worked for a subcontractor for America PAC, were flown to Michigan, driven in the back of a U-Haul, and told they would have to pay the hotel bills unless they met illegal quotas. One was surprised to find, when he arrived in Michigan, that they were working to elect Donald Trump.

The Blair Group, a North Carolina-based political litigation firm, and Liberty Staffing Services, a Florida-based company that specializes in hiring and paying campaigners and other W2 workers for political campaigns, are other named defendants. Neither immediately responded to requests for comment. The lawsuit also names anonymous Johns Doe as defendants.

The plaintiffs are owed money, according to the lawsuit.

“Like other members of the Class, plaintiffs were guaranteed an agreed-upon hourly wage. [sic] when they start their work. However, Plaintiffs are aware and believe that Defendants failed to pay them a reasonable hourly wage, and, instead, paid them based on the number of residences they campaigned for. “So far, the plaintiffs have not received the minimum amount they are owed,” the complaint said.

The defendants in the case were also not reimbursed for downloading various apps to their personal devices, according to the complaint. The plaintiffs also said that their mobile phones were used to track the time worked but they still have not been compensated for those hours.

The America PAC, to which Musk has poured more than $100 million, is heavily involved in key states for Donald Trump’s campaign. Widespread reports show its effectiveness as a mess, however—in addition to WIRED’s reporting on its efforts in Michigan, the Guardian reported that up to 25 percent of its door-knocking could be fake, and NBC reported that campaign staff had concerns about “suspicious data.” ” In an election that all the polls show is going up, a shambolic field performance can mean the difference between victory and defeat.

Neither Alex Spiro, Musk’s attorney, nor a spokesman for X, which Musk owns, immediately responded to requests for comment and requests to contact a representative of America PAC, which does not list contact information on its website. Steele’s campaign also did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A representative for The Blair Group also did not return a request for comment.