Elon Musk’s America PAC, along with several other defendants, including the reelection campaign for Representative Michelle Steel, a Republican from California, have been accused of infringing California labor laws as outlined in a class action lawsuit filed in Orange County on October 30, as derived from court documents obtained by WIRED.
The lawsuit identifies Tamiko Anderson and Patricia Kelly as plaintiffs, who reportedly served as canvassers for Steel in October of this year. The complaint alleges they were not compensated the agreed-upon wages. America PAC is implicated due to its provision of campaigning services for Steel.
Further allegations in the lawsuit include the failure to reimburse business expenses and the issuance of inaccurate wage statements. The lawsuit seeks class certification for “All current and former non-exempt employees of the Defendants in California who worked as canvassers and canvassed for Michelle Steel at any point from October 30, 2023, through the present.”
A spokesperson for the Steel campaign stated that the campaign has no knowledge of these individuals, indicating they neither worked for nor are currently associated with the Steel campaign, and thus the campaign will not comment on matters involving a Super PAC with which they have no involvement.
These allegations differ from earlier reports by WIRED, which involved canvassers in Michigan who claimed they were misled and threatened as a part of Elon Musk and America PAC’s voter mobilization efforts for Donald Trump. The canvassers, employed by a subcontractor of America PAC, were flown to Michigan, transported in a U-Haul, and instructed they would incur hotel charges unless they achieved unrealistic quotas. Some were unexpectedly informed they were working towards the election of Donald Trump upon arriving in Michigan.
Additional defendants named in the lawsuit include The Blair Group, identified as a political consultancy based in North Carolina, and Liberty Staffing Services, a Florida firm specializing in staffing and payroll for canvassers and other W2 employees in political campaigns. Neither entity promptly responded to requests for comment. The lawsuit also names unknown individuals referred to as John Does as defendants.
The lawsuit asserts that the plaintiffs are owed unpaid wages. According to the complaint, the plaintiffs, like other class members, were promised a specific hourly wage at the commencement of their employment. However, the plaintiffs claim the defendants did not pay the correct wages, compensating them instead based on the number of residences canvassed. The plaintiffs allege they have not yet received the owed underpaid wages.
