Netflix employees drop labor complaints, one resigns after Dave Chappelle special
LOS ANGELES ā Two former Netflix employees who criticized anti-transgender comments on Dave Chappelleās TV special are dropping labor complaints and one has resigned from the company, it was announced Monday.
Terra Field, a senior software engineer who is trans, announced that Field had voluntarily resigned as of Sunday.
āThis isnāt how I thought things would end, but Iām relieved to have closure,ā Field said in a resignation letter posted online.
Chappelleās āThe Closerā first aired on Oct. 1 and gained millions of views. However, Chapelleās disparaging remarks about the transgender community raised protests within Netflix and from activists. About 30 Netflix workers staged an Oct. 20 walkout and joined a rally at Netflix offices in Los Angeles.
More:Netflix employees file labor charges against company following Dave Chappelle controversy
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Field was suspended by the company after attending a business meeting for senior executives but was quickly reinstated.
Field and B. Pagels-Minor, a game launch operations program manager who also is trans, filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board. They alleged that Netflix retaliated against the workers to keep them from speaking up about working conditions, including āNetflixās products and the impact of its product choices on the LGBTQ+ community.ā
Trans Netflix employee reinstated after suspension amid Dave Chapelle stand-up controversy
āWe have resolved our differences in a way that acknowledges the erosion of trust on both sides and, we hope, enables everyone to move on,ā Netflix said in a statement Monday.
Pagels-Minor has acknowledged that they were the employee that Netflix fired last month for allegedly disclosing confidential financial information about what it paid for āThe Closer.ā The information was referenced in a Bloomberg news article.
Pagels-Minor has denied the allegations.
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Netflix ran into a buzz-saw of criticism not only with the special but in how internal memos responded to employeesā concerns, including co-CEO Ted Sarandosā assertion that ācontent on screen doesnāt directly translate to real-world harm.ā
Sarandos also wrote that Netflix doesnāt allow titles that are ādesigned to incite hate or violence, and we donāt believe āThe Closerā crosses that line.ā
Netflix continues to make the special available for streaming.