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Tesla Defends Local Hiring Amid Lingering Protests

Julia Ritchey

Tesla says it is meeting its quota for hiring Nevadans, despite lingering protests outside their factory. 

During a tour for local media last week, a Tesla spokesman says they are not yet at full capacity, but are meeting their headcount for hiring locals at the plant.

Several dozen employees roamed about their massive production warehouse, which also houses temporary office space.

Contractors at the site walked off during a labor protest last month over concerns about out-of-state workers. Even on Friday, a group of three protesters stood at the entrance to the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center.

Eighty percent of its overall workforce is Nevada based, and among contractors helping build the site, 67 percent. This meets the required 50 percent threshold set by the state.

The company is expected to employ 6,500 people in exchange for a large tax incentive passed by state lawmakers to lure the carmaker.

[For more photos of Friday's tour, go to our Facebook page.]

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