Two Netflix employees who claimed the company retaliated for their talk about Dave Chappelle’s comedy special “The Closer” have filed federal lawsuits against the streaming platform.
Allegations included in unfair labor practices “the shipment” received by the National Labor Relations Board on Wednesday, board press secretary Kayla Blado confirmed via email.
The filing, obtained by NBC News on Friday, states that Netflix program director B. .
The NLRB filing was reported earlier today by the edge.
The Closer angered many people in the LGBTQ community over Chappelle’s comments about transgender identity, accusing him of transphobia and homophobia. Paid fellow comedian Netflix Hannah Gadsby to announce His influx would unleash “hate and anger” in the LGBTQ community.
Netflix has denied retaliating against employees for criticizing the company and “The Closer”.
“We are aware of the harm and pain inflicted on our fellow trans over the past few weeks,” the company said in a statement Friday. “But we want to make clear that Netflix has not taken any action against employees either for speaking out or out.”
Netflix terminated Pagels-Minor on October 14, hours after Pagels-Minor announced the employees were leaving on October 20, according to an NLRB filing. The shooting was based on “false reasons and pretext”.
Field, who spoke of ending Pagels-Minor and of chirp That particular Chappelle “attacks the transgender community, transgender validity”, was suspended and then reinstated.
“Netflix has engaged in the above activity to suppress employees from speaking out about working conditions including, but not limited to, seeking to create a safe and assured work environment for Netflix employees,” according to the NLRB filing.
It says the company has dealt with Pagels-Minor and Field in an “illegal and disparate manner”.
Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos supports the special’s continued presence on its platform, but said on October 19 that it was a “failure” when it came to communicating with employees who had been hurt by Chappelle’s words.
In a video posted on Instagram Monday, Chappelle said that he will meet with TransNetflix employees under certain circumstances.
He said the backlash against him and his own “has to do with corporate interests and what I can and can’t say.”
revision (October 29, 2021, 11 p.m. ET): An earlier version of this article used the false pronouns of B. Pagels-Minor. Pagels-Minor pronouns are /they/they, not she/it/her.
