The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has filed a complaint against Grindr. According to Bloomberg, the agency alleges that the return-to-office (RTO) order that limits remote work and effectively requires relocations for many workers was an attempt to prevent a unionization drive. According to the Communications Workers of America (CWA), about 80 of Grindr’s 178 employees quit last year as a result of the RTO demand.
The NLRB’s Office of General Counsel has accused Grindr of violating labor law by retaliating against workers who were attempting to organize. According to Bloomberg, the agency also claims that the company refused to recognize a union or negotiate with it in good faith, which would also be a violation of labor law.
A Grindr spokesperson told the publication that the claims were “unfounded.” He said some employees began signing union cards “when it became known that a transition back to working in the office was underway.”
According to the CWA, the company announced on August 4 last year that employees would have to attend its office at least two days a week. Most of the employees announced their intention to form a union in July. The union claims that by the end of August, about half of the employees were forced to resign. This was said to be partly as a result of the relocation requirements.
Among other issues, relocating would require some of Grindr’s trans employees to find alternative healthcare providers, the union has said. “The RTO mandate gave employees two weeks to choose between ending their tenure at Grindr or relocating to their respective team’s newly assigned ‘hub’ city,” the CWA said when it filed an unfair labor practice suit against Grindr in September 2023.
As CNN noted, many employees who were hired to work remotely were suddenly required 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 been in trouble recently. Earlier this year, the company was sued for allegedly sharing personal information — including HIV status and test dates, ethnicity, and sexual orientation — with advertising companies without users’ consent.
In a statement sent to Engadget, Grindr United-CWA called today’s complaint “another huge win” for the union.