The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has filed a complaint against Grindr. According BloombergThe agency alleges that a return-to-office (RTO) mandate that limited remote work and effectively meant a relocation requirement for many workers was an attempt to fend off a unionization drive. About 80 of Grindr's 178 employees resigned as a result of last year's RTO lawsuit, according to Communications Workers of America (CWA).
The NLRB general counsel's office accused Grindr of violating labor law by retaliating against workers who tried to organize. By Bloomberg, The agency further claims that the company refused to recognize the union or negotiate with it in good faith, which would also constitute a violation of labor law.
A Grindr spokesperson told the publication that the claims were “baseless.” They added that some employees began signing union cards “only after it became known that the transition back to in-office work was underway.”
According to the CWA, the company announced on August 4 last year that workers would have to attend their offices at least two days a week. A supermajority of workers announced their unionization in July. The union claims that by the end of August, around half of the staff had been forced to resign. This, in part, was due to relocation requirements.
Among other issues, having to relocate would have required some of Grindr's trans employees to find alternative health care providers, the union said. “The RTO mandate gave workers two weeks to choose between ending their tenure on Grindr or relocating to their respective team's newly assigned 'hub' city to work in-person twice a week,” the CWA. saying when he filed an unfair labor practice against Grindr in September 2023. As cnn As noted, many of the workers who had been hired remotely suddenly had to report to a Grindr office in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, or Washington DC.
This isn't the first time Grindr has found itself in trouble lately. Earlier this year, the company was sued for allegedly sharing personal information (including HIV status and testing dates, ethnicity and sexual orientation) with advertising companies without users' consent.
In a statement to Engadget, Grindr United-CWA called today's complaint “another big win” for the union. The full statement follows:
Today's NLRB complaint is another big victory for our union. After management instituted a retaliatory relocation policy just days after we went public with our organizing efforts, more than half of our colleagues were forced to move to a “hub” to work in person or leave the company with compensation in exchange for our silence.
When we filed an unfair labor practice complaint with the NLRB last year, we collectively held Grindr responsible for protecting workers' rights and our right to form a union. That's why we formed 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 a union, we are committed to negotiating fair working conditions in good faith. As we continue to build and expand worker power on Grindr, this victory in our favor is a positive step in ensuring Grindr remains a safe, inclusive and thriving place for users and workers alike.
Update, November 4 at 5:40 pm ET: This story was updated after publication to include a statement from Grindr United-CWA.
