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Netflix employees drop labor complaints, one resigns after Dave Chappelle special

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES ā€” Two former Netflix employees who criticized anti-transgender comments on Dave Chappelleā€™s 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.

ā€œThis isnā€™t how I thought things would end, but Iā€™m relieved to have closure,ā€ Field said in a resignation letter posted online.

Chappelleā€™s ā€œThe Closerā€ first aired on Oct. 1 and gained millions of views. However, Chapelleā€™s 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.

Two former Netflix employees are dropping labor complaints against the streaming company.

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 ā€œNetflixā€™s 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

ā€œWe 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 ā€œThe Closer.ā€ The information was referenced in a Bloomberg news article.

Pagels-Minor has denied the allegations.

'You will not summon me':Dave Chappelle on engaging with trans community; fired Netflix employee speaks

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 ā€œcontent on screen doesnā€™t directly translate to real-world harm.ā€

Sarandos also wrote that Netflix doesnā€™t allow titles that are ā€œdesigned to incite hate or violence, and we donā€™t believe ā€˜The Closerā€™ crosses that line.ā€

Netflix continues to make the special available for streaming.

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