-
A current and former Netflix employee has filed a labor complaint against the company and accused it of retaliation.
-
Netflix employees staged a walk to protest the company’s handling of the trans community following Dave Chappelle’s controversial comedy.
-
Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos has been defending Chappell and his comedy for the past few weeks.
A Netflix employee and former employee have filed a work complaint against the company, accusing the streaming giant of taking revenge on them for trying to speak out against his actions regarding the controversy surrounding comedian Dave Chappell’s new special.
B. Pagels-Minor and Terra Field filed accusation of unfair work practice with the National Employment Committee this week, when he said his decision to broadcast Chappelle’s special shows “humiliated” and “threatened” transgender people and significantly affected working conditions at Netflix.
The complaint was first reported by Verge.
The couple said the streamer targeted them because they talked about Chappelle’s special offer and his anti-gender comments. Pagels-Minor, Black trans program manager, organized the departure of Netflix employees and the company later fired him due to an alleged leak of confidential measurements and financial information o special and some other streamer projects to Bloomberg. Pagels-Minor denied the allegations.
Field, a software engineer, was one of the three staff members is suspended after attending a meeting at the level of the Director the streamer says she was not invited even though she was returned to work after the company found no violation.
“Netflix is collaborating [firing and suspending Pagels-Minor and Field respectively] discourage employees from talking about working conditions, including, but not limited to, working to create a safe and affirmative work environment for Netflix employees, talking about Netflix products and the impact of their product choices on the LGBTQ + community, and providing support for employees Netflix was treated in an illegal and different way, ”Bay Area attorney Laurie M. Burgess said in a statement on the indictment filed on behalf of Pagels-Minor and Field.
Both have previously signed an employment contract with Netflix, under which they must resolve disputes in private arbitration. However, the decision to apply to the NLRB would help employees achieve collective action, with the goal of extensive change and accountability for all employees in the company.
“Rights exist to be enforced and defended, and no one will silence me in defense of myself, my co-workers or the community,” Field said in a tweet consideration of the role of the NLRB.
The NLRB is currently investigating allegations against Netflix. If the allegations are substantiated, the NLRB may attempt to reach a settlement or issue a formal complaint on behalf of the employees. In addition to the settlement, Netflix may be forced to re-hire employees with backlogs and issue a statement of workers ’rights in relation to a protected activity such as speaking or protesting.
Netflix has denied retaliation against employees.
“We recognize the pain and the pain we have caused our trans colleagues over the last few weeks,” a Netflix spokesman told Insider. “However, we want to make it clear that Netflix did not take action against employees because they spoke up or left.”
Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos has been defending Chappell and his comedy for the past few weeks. He previously stated his belief that the specialty “does not mean direct harm in the real world”, but he went to these comments and said that “fucked up.“
Meanwhile, Dave Chappelle responded to the controversy this week, saying he was willing to meet and listen to the trans community, but added that he would not “bending to some requirementsIn response, Chappelle praised Sarandos’ support and mocked queer comedian Hannah Gadsby, who invaded Sarandos for defending Chappelle.
Read the original article at Business Insider