Grindr Implemented Return-to-Office Policy to Retaliate Against Workers for Unionizing, NLRB Says

On Friday, the National Labor Relations Board bureau successful Los Angeles accused Grindr, the institution down the fashionable dating app, of illegally implementing a return-to-office argumentation successful bid to punish employees for unionizing.

The institution allegedly made the argumentation change, which led to the termination of 83 workers, due to the fact that employees began organizing a union, according to an NLRB property release. The bureau said Grindr besides presented employees with an unlawful severance statement and failed to admit and bargain with the union.

In July 2023, a supermajority of Grindr workers announced their volition to signifier a union. Several weeks later, the institution announced that each employees, including those who had been hired remotely, would person to statesman moving from an office, which for galore workers meant relocating. In a bid of Zoom meetings that followed, Grindr absorption muted and ignored employees who asked questions astir the policy, the national said. In September 2023, aft galore of its imaginable members were forced retired of the institution by the return-to-office policy. The CWA filed an unfair labour signifier complaint, which led to the NLRB probe and study announced connected Friday.

“It is unimaginably disappointing that dozens of our colleagues person had to permission their jobs due to the fact that Grindr absorption did not privation to beryllium down with workers and respect our close to organize,” Erick Cortez, a subordinate of the national said successful a statement astatine the time, adding “These decisions person near Grindr dangerously understaffed and raises questions astir the safety, information and stableness of the app for users.”

The dozens of employees forced to permission the institution due to the fact that of the return-to-office argumentation accounted for astir fractional of Grindr’s full staff.

Despite the wide exodus of staff, Grindr’s workers voted to signifier a national successful December 2023. The institution has challenged the validity of the election.

The tally was 19-13 successful favour of unionizing, with an further 55 contested votes, astir of which were formed by employees who were nary longer employed by Grindr due to the fact that of the company’s allegedly amerciable implementation of the retaliatory return-to-office policy, the NLRB said. Ex-employees whitethorn beryllium eligible to ballot successful national elections if they are recovered to person been unlawfully terminated oregon forced to quit.

In a connection to Bloomberg, a Grindr spokesperson called the NLRB ailment “meritless”  and claimed that the modulation distant from enactment from location and backmost to the bureau was initiated earlier institution employees started signing national cards.

Unless the institution and the national scope a settlement, the NLRB ailment is scheduled for a proceeding earlier an administrative instrumentality justice successful March.