Southern Poverty Law Center union expresses no confidence in nonprofit’s leadership

The union representing Southern Poverty Law Center employees said Monday members had approved a no-confidence motion in SPLC President and CEO Margaret Huang.

The SPLC Union said in a statement that the vote, which came at the end of August, reflected criticism of recent layoffs at the civil rights nonprofit, and accused leaders of having anti-union attitudes.

The union, which wants Huang replaced, said that it notified the SPLC’s board of directors of the no-confidence vote after it took place. According to the union, Karen Baynes-Dunning, the SPLC’s board chair, responded in an email that the board supports Huang in her capacity as president and CEO and approves of her strategic direction for the organization.

“From the start, the board’s lack of engagement with our Union has made them complacent and complicit in all harm Huang and her leadership team create,” Lisa Wright, the SPLC Union chair, said in a statement on Monday.

Leadership of the SPLC said in a statement Monday that it will continue to support Huang.

“We respect the bargaining unit’s right to oppose the changes to the SPLC programs and activities, and we empathize with all employees who were impacted by the staff restructure,” SPLC said in a statement sent Monday. “These decisions are never easy, but necessary to strengthen our strategic framework and focus so that we can meet the challenges of this decade and beyond.”

The civil rights organization in June announced that it would lay off at least 60 employees in what it described as an attempt to streamline operations, though it did not provide an exact number. SPLC stated on its most recent 990 form that it had 469 employees as of October 2023.

The organization said that the layoffs would allow them to better serve marginalized communities. SPLC said in its statement Monday that its mission remains the same, to eradicate poverty, dismantle white supremacy and address problems in marginalized communities, such as communities of color, in the Deep South.

“Through the recent operational changes and realignment of programmatic priorities, we will ensure that we can invest where the needs are the greatest while maintaining the highest level of impact,” SPLC said.

The union said the cuts were the result of a “$13 million deficit” in the budget. The union wants to have Huang removed from leadership, to have the organization bargain with the union to reverse the layoffs and have a role in any future process for finding a CEO.

The SPLC Union formed in 2019 after a major leadership shake-up in the organization sparked by the resignation of an assistant legal director over racial and gender equity concerns at SPLC. The nonprofit declined to voluntarily recognize the union and hired a Virginia-based law firm that boasted of victories over unions and labor organizing drives. Employees voted overwhelmingly for the union that December.

The union said 92% of its membership voted for the motion.

“On Friday, we were disappointed to hear that the SPLC Board of Directors stands fully behind Margaret Huang’s decision to lay off 80+ staff members,” said Katie Glenn, SPLC Union recording secretary in an emailed statement Monday. “It’s clear that internal dialogue won’t suffice and that we’ll need to step up the pressure in advance of contract negotiations next year.”

The statement did not address the possibility of a strike.