Wins & Press

Grindr ‘Unlawfully’ Purged Staff at LGBTQ Dating App, Union Says

September 8, 2023

Grindr United, the union representing workers at the LGBTQ dating app, filed an unfair labor practice charge against the company on Wednesday after over 80 workers were forced to resign due to a return-to-office policy that gave them two weeks to decide whether to move across the country or lose their jobs, according to a press release.

The charge alleges that this policy was retaliatory against unionizing workers, and that the company also unlawfully silenced workers who asked questions about it.

Grindr’s Return-to-Office Ultimatum Has Gutted a Uniquely Queer Space in Tech

September 6, 2023

Many bosses have demanded, requested, or wheedled their staff to return to the office over the past year, often to minimal effect. The CEO of LGBTQ+ dating app Grindr delivered an abrupt return-to-office ultimatum—and gutted the company’s staff.

Last month, Grindr gave its all-remote staff two weeks to pledge to work from an office two days a week starting in October or lose their jobs come August 31. Many declined to return: 82 out of 178 employees—46 percent of the staff—were let go after rejecting the mandate, according to the Grindr union, which went public two weeks before the ultimatum. The policy would have forced many of them to relocate to Los Angeles, Chicago, or San Francisco.

As Its Workers Move to Unionize, Grindr Unveils a Strict Return-to-Office Policy

August 15, 2023

Grindr workers say that the company is continuing to crack down on unionization efforts with a return-to-office (RTO) plan that could force employees to radically change their lives or lose their jobs. The company has thus far refused to come to the table with the union, despite boasting about “healthy revenue growth” in a letter to shareholders on Monday.

Grindr workers announced in July that they had unionized under the media labor organization Communication Workers of America (CWA), with a supermajority of roughly 100 workers signing pledges. Some of Grindr United’s demands include a guarantee of remote work with flexible hours, “excellent” health and wellness benefits including funds for gender-affirming care, annual cost of living pay adjustments, pay transparency, and a commitment to closing racial and gender pay gaps.

Move or Quit: Grindr Dictates New Office Rules Amid Union Drive

August 11, 2023

Quinn McGee learned last week that to keep their job as a product manager at Grindr, the gay dating app, they would have to move to California from New York by October under the company’s new return-to-office rules.

“It’s difficult to even fathom how I would be able to be living in California in seven weeks,” said Mx. McGee, 41, who uses gender-neutral pronouns. They were hired in 2021 and have been working remotely from Brooklyn: “I have a lease that I am legally meant to follow through with. My partner is a medical practitioner, and I have good medical providers here.”

Grindr Accused of Union Busting: Report

August 11, 2023

At a time when unions are fighting for workers' rights across the country and companies are responding by using tried-and-true union-busting techniques, the LGBTQ+ dating app Grindr has reportedly issued its employees an ultimatum: Move across the country to work in an office or lose your job.

Right on the heels of the workers announcing they were unionizing two weeks ago, Grindr sent out a new return-to-work policy that requires workers to either move within 50 miles of the company’s new offices or their jobs will end on August 31, according to Vice, who obtained a copy of the certification form sent to workers on Monday night.

Grindr Tells Unionizing Workers: Move Across The Country or Be Fired

August 8, 2023

LGBTQ dating app Grindr has issued a new return-to-office policy requiring staff to relocate to other cities, just two weeks after its workers announced they were unionizing with the Communications Workers of America. The certification form, sent to workers on Monday night and obtained by Motherboard, states that the policy requires workers to either move within 50 miles of their newly designated office or lose their jobs.

Workers told Motherboard that the policy was first announced on Thursday, during a previously scheduled all-hands meeting, and that it was the first time they had heard from management since the unionization was announced.

Grindr Forces Workers Back to Office for Trying to Unionize, Organizers Say in Complaint

August 4, 2023

Grindr Inc., the LGBTQ dating company, is using a new return-to-office policy to punish employees who are trying to unionize, workers alleged in a complaint filed with US labor officials.

The company has recently restricted remote work and threatened workers with firing unless they live near or relocate to an in-person office, the Communications Workers of America said in a complaint filed Friday with the National Labor Relations Board.

Staff at Grindr, the World’s Biggest LGBTQ Dating App, Are Unionizing

July 29, 2023

Workers at Grindr, the popular and long-running LGBTQ dating app, have announced supermajority support for forming a union. Jacobin talked to two Grindr workers about their demands.

Grindr employees look to unionize

July 21, 2023

Driven in part by the nationwide hostility towards the LGBTQ community, Grindr employees announced a unionization effort on July 20.

Employees at the LGBTQ dating app are mounting the labor effort together as Grindr United and working with the Communications Workers of America, one of the United States’ largest unions dedicated to helping those in the news media, the airlines, broadcast and cable television, public service, higher education, health care, manufacturing, high tech, and more.

Grindr Workers Are Looking to Unionize Amid Tech Layoffs

July 21, 2023

The U.S. labor movement is officially no longer on the DL.

Workers at the ubiquitous queer dating and hookup app Grindr announced Thursday that they’ve unionized under the Communications Workers of America. Grindr United said in its first official statement that a supermajority of around 100 workers signed union cards this week, and are “committed to ensuring that Grindr remains a safe, inclusive, and thriving place for its users and workers alike.”

Grindr Employees to Unionize Amid the Rise in Anti-LGBTQ+ Legislation, Tech Layoffs

July 20, 2023

Employees at the gay hookup app Grindr announced Thursday that they had launched a union. They also did so in part, they say, due to the company's CEO George Arison's prior backing of anti-LGBTQ+ politicians.

In a press release through the labor union Communications Workers of America, the employees said that a supermajority of workers at the company had announced the creation of Grindr United with CWA.

Grindr Staff Launch Union Drive, Fueled by Tech Layoffs and Anti-LGBTQ Threats

July 20, 2023

Employees at the LGBTQ dating company Grindr Inc. are petitioning to unionize, extending a wave of organizing among tech workers.

Workers filed a unionization petition with the US National Labor Relations Board Thursday and announced the campaign to management during a previously scheduled all-hands Zoom. Pro-union staff say they’ve signed up the vast majority of a proposed bargaining unit of around 100 employees, including cloud engineering, IT, design, marketing and quality assurance workers.

Workers at Grindr Announce Union with CWA

July 20, 2023

Today, a supermajority of workers at Grindr, comprising members of the LGBTQIA+ community and strong allies, proudly announce the formation of Grindr United with the Communications Workers of America (CWA). A supermajority of the approximately 100 eligible members have signed union representation cards at the company behind the leading LGBTQIA+ dating app. Grinder United members work across various departments at Grindr, including cloud engineering, customer experience, design, engineering, IT, marketing, privacy, product, and quality assurance. By joining together in a union, workers are committed to ensuring that Grindr remains a safe, inclusive, and thriving place for its users and workers alike.

We've filed with the National Labor Relations Board!

July 20, 2023

We're so excited to announce that we are able to be public with our support as of today, and would love to encouage everyone to show their support by changing their Slack icons, Zoom backgrounds, Zoom icon for when your camera is off, and by following our union on social media.