By Jonathan Easton

Two Netflix employees have filed labour charges against the streaming giant over its handling of the Dave Chappelle controversy.

The recently launched standup special The Closer has been heavily criticised for Chappelle’s use of anti-trans rhetoric. An employee resource group staged a walkout on October 20 due to the special along with Netflix’s response to a number of employees who spoke out against it and were subsequently suspended or fired.

Programme manager B. Pagels-Minor was fired while organising the walkout, while software engineer Terra Field was suspended after a tweet thread about the special went viral. Netflix argued that the former was fired for leaking confidential information to the press (which Pagels-Minor denies), while the latter was temporarily suspended for attending an executive level meeting uninvited.

Both have now filed unfair labour practice charges with the US’s National Labor Relations Board, arguing that Netflix’s actions have been an attempt to stop employees from discussing their working conditions.

In a statement, the pair’s lawyer said: “This charge is not just about B. and Terra, and it’s not about Dave. It’s about trying to change the culture and having an impact for others. The charge is all about collective action. It’s about supporting your coworkers and speaking up for things you care about.”