Grindr Introduces on-site Work Policy as Retaliation for Employee Union Formation, Accuses NLRB
On a Friday, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in Los Angeles implicated Grindr, the enterprise behind the renowned dating app, for illicitly implementing a return-to-office policy as retaliation against workers for unionizing.
The company is reported to have instigated this policy modification, resulting in the dismissal of 83 employees, following the initiative of employees to establish a union, as per an NLRB press release. The organization alleged that Grindr also distributed an unlawful severance agreement and neglected to acknowledge and negotiate with the union.
In July 2023, a significant majority of Grindr employees declared their intention to establish a union. A few weeks subsequently, the company pronounced that all employees, including remote hires, would be obligated to report to an office, hence necessitating a relocation for several workers. A sequence of Zoom meetings ensued, during which Grindr management presumably silenced and disregarded employees who posed questions regarding the policy, according to the union. In September 2023, prompted by the return-to-office policy that led to the displacement of numerous potential union members, the Communication Workers of America (CWA) submitted an unfair labor practice complaint, leading to the NLRB investigation and declaration announced on Friday.
“It's heartbreakingly disheartening that numerous of our colleagues had to part ways from their employment due to Grindr management's unwillingness to interact with employees and uphold our right to organize,” stated Erick Cortez, a union member, in a declaration at the time, further mentioning “These decisions have left Grindr perilously understaffed and spark questions concerning the safety, security, and durability of the app for users.”
The numerous employees who were compelled to leave the company due to the return-to-office policy accounted for roughly half of Grindr’s entire workforce.
Despite the mass exodus of staff, Grindr's employees voted to establish a union in December 2023. The company has contested the legitimacy of the election.
The tally was 19-13 in favor of unionizing, with an additional 55 contested votes, the vast majority of which were cast by employees who no longer worked for Grindr due to the firm’s alleged unlawful execution of the retaliatory return-to-office policy, according to the NLRB. Ex-employees may be eligible to vote in union elections if they are deemed to have been unlawfully terminated or compelled to resign.
In a statement to Bloomberg, a Grindr spokesperson categorized the NLRB complaint as “baseless” and asserted that the transition from remote work to an office environment was instigated prior to company employees beginning to sign union cards.
Unless the company and the union reach an agreement, the NLRB complaint is scheduled for a hearing before an administrative law judge in March.
In the future, Grindr might need to reevaluate its approach to technology and employee relations to avoid similar disputes. The tech company's controversial return-to-office policy, accused of being retaliation against unionizing employees, has sparked a significant controversy.
