The NLRB accused Grindr of using the back office authority to promote a unionization campaign.
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) filed a complaint against Grindr. In accordance with BloombergThe agency alleged that the return-to-office authority (RTO) that had limited remote work and said that the relocation requirement for many workers was an attempt to stop the unionization campaign. About 80 of Grindr’s 178 employees quit because of last year’s RTO demand, according to the Communications Workers of America (CWA).
The NLRB’s office of general counsel accused Grindr of violating labor law by retaliating against workers who were trying to organize. Per Bloomberg, the agency also says the company has refused to recognize the union or negotiate with it in good faith, which would also be a violation of labor law.
A spokesperson for Grindr told the newspaper that the claims are “without merit.” They added that some workers started signing union cards “after it became known that the transition back to work was still going on.”
According to CWA, the company announced on August 4 last year that workers will have to go to their offices at least two days a week. Most of the workers announced the formation of unions in July. The union says that, at the end of August, almost half of the workers were forced to resign. This, in part, was attributed to transportation needs.
Among other issues, the relocation would have required some of Grindr’s employees to find other health care providers, the union said. “The RTO mandate gave the workers two weeks to choose between ending their tenure at Grindr or moving to a ‘newly assigned’ city for their team to work in person twice a week,” CWA said while filing an Unfair Labor Practice against Grindr. in September 2023. As CNN noted, most remote workers suddenly had to commute to Grindr’s offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco or Washington DC.
This isn’t the first time Grindr has been in hot water recently. Earlier this year, the company was sued for allegedly sharing personal information — including HIV status and test dates, race and gender — with advertising companies without users’ consent.
In a statement sent to Engadget, Grindr United-CWA called today’s appeal “another major victory” for the union. The full statement follows:
Today’s appeal from the NLRB is another major victory for our union. After management imposed a retaliatory relocation policy a few days after we went public with our organizing efforts, more than half of our colleagues were forced to move to the “center” to work for themselves, or to leave the company by being fired to find our work. silence.
When we filed an unfair labor practice lawsuit with the NLRB last year, we collectively charged Grindr with protecting workers’ rights and our right to form a union. That’s why we founded Grindr-United: to ensure collaboration and a seat at the negotiating table.
We hope this NLRB filing sends a clear message to Grindr that, with the union, we are committed to negotiating fair working conditions in good faith. As we continue to build and expand the workforce at Grindr, this win is a positive step towards ensuring that Grindr remains a safe, inclusive, and thriving place for users and employees alike.
Update, November 4, 5:40PM ET: This story was updated after publication to include a statement from Grindr United-CWA.
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