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In early November, the National Center for Transgender Equality lost about two-thirds of its staff in just a few weeks. At least eight staffers resigned over frustrations with the organization and a failed attempt to oust the executive and deputy executive directors. There was a record high of 23 employees at the start of this year; only seven remain.
An unfair labor practice charge was filed against the center "for discharging all employees in the bargaining unit, in retaliation against the staff asking for recognition of their union," the Nonprofit Professional Employees Union. Last August some staffers walked out to protest the firing of an outreach coordinator who is black and Nicaraguan. Some workers also claim that there is not enough diversity on staff. Tensions at the center have been building for years, along with the feeling that the executive team had an inconsistent view towards "making the organization a strong social justice movement."