Grindr Implemented a Return-to-Office Policy to Retaliate against Employees for Union Activity, NLRB Says

On Friday, the Los Angeles office of the National Labor Relations Board accused Grindr, the company behind the popular dating app, of illegally implementing a return-to-the-office policy to punish employees for joining a union.

The company allegedly made the policy change, which led to the layoff of 83 employees, because employees began organizing a union, according to an NLRB news release. The agency said Grindr also offered workers an unlawful dismissal agreement and failed to recognize or negotiate with the union.

In July 2023, a supermajority of Grindr employees announced their intention to form a union. A few weeks later, the company announced that all employees, including those hired remotely, would have to work from an office, which meant a move for many employees. In a series of Zoom meetings that followed, Grindr management muted and ignored employees who asked questions about the policy, the union said. In September 2023, after many of the potential members had to leave the company due to the return-to-office policy. The CWA filed an unfair labor practice complaint, which led to the NLRB investigation and report announced Friday.

“It is incredibly disappointing that dozens of our colleagues were forced to leave their jobs because Grindr management would not sit down with employees and respect our right to organize,” union member Erick Cortez said in a statement. An statement At the time, he added: “These decisions have left Grindr dangerously understaffed and raise questions about the app’s safety, security and stability for users.”

The dozens of employees forced to leave the company due to the return-to-office policy made up about half of Grindr’s total workforce.

Despite the mass exodus of staff, Grindr employees voted to form a union in December 2023. The company has disputed the validity of the elections.

The outcome was 19-13 in favor of unionization, with an additional 55 contested votes, most of which were cast by employees no longer employed by Grindr due to the company’s alleged illegal implementation of its retaliatory return-to-office policy , the NLRB said. Ex-employees may be entitled to vote in union elections if it appears that they were unlawfully dismissed or forced to resign.

In a statement to Bloomberga Grindr spokesperson called the NLRB complaint “meritless” and alleged that the home-to-office transition was initiated before company employees began signing union cards.

Unless the company and the union reach a settlement, the NLRB complaint will be heard by an administrative law judge in March.