Grindr United Is Asking That A Union Representative Be Added To Board
By Dolores Quintana
In a year that has seen several strikes and union organizing reaches new levels, you can add Grindr to the list of companies where the workers have chosen to form a union this week. 100 workers at the “world’s largest app for gay, bi, trans, and queer people” have announced that they are forming a union through the Communication Workers of America (CWA) and debuted a new website, Grindr Union.org. Other companies where organizers have started unions through CWA are Amazon, Apple, and Starbucks.
The new union announced itself on Twitter, saying, “What do we want? GAY. When do we want it? GAY.” on July 20th.
On the website, there is an explanation of the union’s ethos, which says, “We are the workers at Grindr. We comprise members of the LGBTQIA+ community and strong allies who work here because we want to center the queer experience. We’re dedicated to the success of this organization and sincerely believe that success can be achieved by prioritizing the humanity of our users, not just their wallets. As members and allies of communities that are systematically oppressed, we know that strength lies in working together, not alone.”
Grindr responded to the news via a statement from their press representative Patrick Lenihan who stated, “We respect our employees’ rights and point of view, and we will continue to work together to make Grindr a great place to work for all.” as quoted by Bloomberg.com. On the Grindr website, the only entry on the site’s blog for July 20th is a list of “34 of the Best Breakup Songs for the Newly Single.”
The new Grindr union states what they want from the company on their website. Their list is very detailed and includes the following:
“We want to elect a union member to represent us on the Board of Directors in order to advocate for product excellence, the broader community, and the people doing the work.
We want to enshrine our existing benefits in a contract so that they cannot be unilaterally taken away.” These include:
- Remote first guaranteed with flexible hours to accommodate workers’ lives
- Excellent health and wellness benefits, including parental leave, 401k matching, unlimited PTO, and gender affirmation funds
- A company that delights in queer joy, both ours and our users’
We also want to expand our existing benefits to better embody our values, including:
- Commitments from leadership and the Board to actively pursue anti-racism in our hiring and product decisions and to build a company and an app inclusive of everyone in the LGBTQIA+ community
- Annual cost of living pay adjustments, pay transparency, fair raises with promotions, and a commitment to closing any racial or gender pay gap.
- An equitable bonus structure and stock refreshers in line with industry standards – these should not be reserved for only directors and VPs
- Documented performance improvement plans prior to terminations and guaranteed severance for laid-off workers.
- Support for us as people in communities in the form of professional development budgets, charitable gift matching, and sabbaticals
