TSMC faces a demand in the United States for hostile work environment at its Arizona plant

The plant FAB 21 of TSMC In Phoenix, Arizona, is located in the center of a federal lawsuit filed by 28 current and old employees of the company. The plaintiffs accuse the manufacturer of semiconductors of maintaining a Hostile work environmentdiscrimination practices and security problems in its facilities.

Accusations of discrimination and security problems

Among the testimonies, employees point out that supervisors would have described US workers as “lazy” and “stupid”, while favoring employees of Asian origin. In addition, the demand alleges that there was an environment marked by verbal abuses, isolation and humiliations. Deficiencies in security protocols are also mentioned, such as the lack of use of protection equipment during maintenance tasks.

One of the complainants, the fire security expert David Amiri, says he was marginalized after pointing out risks in the facilities. Another ex -employed, Antonio Fisher, said that the company did not properly attend the complaints of security violations and that the workers who protested were considered “problematic.”

The TSMC response has already been made public

The company, which produces advanced chips for clients such as Apple, Nvidia and Qualcomm, responded in judicial documents by qualifying the demand for “Unfounded stories and without relevance”whose objective would be to damage your reputation. In a statement, TSMC defended its commitment to a safe, inclusive and diverse work environment.

The Phoenix plant is part of the American strategy to reduce its dependency in Asia in the production of semiconductors, something that would lead to the government to buy Intel shares. Initially promoted under the Trump administration and then backed by the Chips Law signed by Joe Biden, TSMC plans to build up to six factories in Arizona. Currently, one of them already produces 4 Nm chips with a capacity of 10,000 wafers per month, with plans to increase to 30,000 in the coming years.