By Chrissy Clark
Employees at the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) seemingly called their employer racist Monday for allegedly requesting “lower-paid” employees to return to in-person work, according to the Washington Free Beacon.
SPLC Union members protested outside of the Montgomery, Alabama, headquarters office, according to the Washington Free Beacon. The “informational picket” was in response to the SPLC’s requirement to return lower-level positions to the office, which the union claims disproportionately hurts black women.
“Black women, many of whom have been working at this organization for decades in positions with little or no opportunities for advancement are four times more likely to be denied telework and/or remote work than white women and are seven times more likely to be denied telework options than white men at the Center,” a letter from the union read.
“Forcing employees back into the office isn’t about collaboration or cooperation — this is about policing and surveillance of @splcenter‘s lowest-paid employees.”
#BlackWomenAtWork #BlackWomenAreNotTheHelp#LowestPayHighestCosts#SPLCisNotEradicatingPoverty#WeWillNotBeIgnored pic.twitter.com/zxYD7PJTkX
— SPLC Union (@SPLCUnion) March 28, 2022
Lisa Wright, an SPLC Union bargaining committee member alleged that the organization’s goal of “forcing” employees into the office was “about policing and surveillance of SPLC’s lowest-paid employees.”
“Staff in more highly regarded job classifications and who are higher-paid employees are being given the flexibility to work remotely, while women, Black, brown, and lower-paid employees are forced back into the office regardless of our work, our needs, and our advocacy for more inclusive treatment,” Wright said. “Forcing employees back into the office isn’t about collaboration or cooperation.”
Employees held signs that read, “Return to office = Policing and Surveillance.”
#SPLC worker and @SPLCUnion member reminds us that mandatory return to office for *only* lower wage workers is a matter of policing and surveillance—issues that @splcenter insists they fight against. #PracticeWhatYouPreach pic.twitter.com/Yq95XY8iby
— stef (@stefwithanfany) March 28, 2022
Employees are dubbing the SPLC racist at the same time the SPLC’s education arm, Learning for Justice, is promoting an “anti-racist” agenda for in-school curricula, according to documents from the organization’s website. (RELATED: Virginia Department Of Education Insists Educators Should Make Their ‘Ally Status Known’ To Students)
Learning for Justice proposes lesson plans that recommend restructuring history and social studies classes to emphasize slavery as fundamental to American society for students beginning in Kindergarten. Their curriculum is implemented in a slew of schools nationwide.
The Southern Poverty Law Center and SPLC Union did not respond to the Daily Caller’s request for comment.
