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"Chips Giant TSMC Sued Over ‘Anti-American’ Discrimination" 13 November 2024

As the world’s biggest chipmaker, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, ramps up production in the United States, a group of more than a dozen current and former employees are suing it for alleged “anti-American” discrimination, which they claim has displaced U.S. workers in favor of Taiwanese hires...

Last year, more than half of TSMC’s 2,200-person Arizona workforce hailed from Taiwan, and the tensions between U.S. and Taiwanese employees have been the focus of several reports that highlighted differences in professional norms...

The suit was originally filed in August by Deborah Howington, a current talent acquisition executive at TSMC...And this month, twelve former TSMC staff with similar allegations signed onto the suit...the former TSMC group described a “discriminatory scheme” concocted by TSMC’s parent corporation, allegedly “comprised almost exclusively of Taiwanese nationals who encourage — and expect — the U.S.-based subsidiaries to obey TSMC’s discriminatory policies and practices without pushback, despite the fact that these policies and practices violate U.S. law.”

TSMC has yet to submit a rebuttal to the class action complaint, and declined to comment on the ongoing litigation.

“TSMC believes strongly in the value of a diverse workforce and we hire and promote without regard to gender, religion, race, nationality, or political affiliation because we respect differences, and believe that equal employment opportunities strengthen our competitiveness,” a company spokesperson told Forbes. “We also provide various channels for employees to raise concerns, and strive to address concerns constructively.”

Part of the suit focuses on the company’s alleged preference for employees who can speak and write Mandarin Chinese. The plaintiffs claim that meetings and business materials were often communicated only in Mandarin, preventing English-speakers from doing their jobs...

The suit also claims that Taiwanese employees on “expensive” visas are given better performance reviews and job assignments...Previously, the company was accused by construction contractors of trying to fast-track visas for hundreds of Taiwanese workers while undercutting U.S. union jobs...