The New York Director Of The Fight For 15 Has Resigned Amid Harassment Investigation

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The Service Employees International Union terminated two more top organizers Thursday, the union said, in connection with an ongoing investigation into harassment.

The moves come after the resignation of top labor strategist Scott Courtney and the firing of a top Chicago organizer.

"As a result of information that has come to light through our ongoing internal investigation, today SEIU took action on two senior staff,” union spokesperson Sahar Wali said in a statement to BuzzFeed News.

Kendall Fells, Director of the Fight for 15 minimum wage campaign for New York, resigned Thursday morning, a source within the union confirmed. It's currently unclear who the other staffer is. Fells didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

"These personnel actions are the culmination of this stage of the investigation, which brought to light the serious problems related to abusive behavior towards staff, predominantly female staff," Wali said. “We know that progress does not stop with these personnel actions alone. President Henry has taken important steps toward ensuring that our workplace environment reflects our values and that all staff is respected, their contributions are valued, and their voices are heard."

The union of service employees, the nation’s second-largest and a major player in the progressive wing of the Democratic party, has been cleaning house since allegations of misconduct by Courtney emerged in October.

At the time, the union said the investigation was launched to “look into questions about potential violations of our union’s anti-nepotism policy, efforts to evade our Code of Ethics and subsequent complaints related to sexual misconduct and abusive behavior towards union staff.”

The union has also formed an external advisory group, which Wali said will bring “outside, objective perspective,” and which includes Cecilia Munoz, Former White House Domestic Policy Council Director, Fatima Goss-Graves, President & CEO of the National Women’s Law Center, and employment attorney Debra Katz, founding partner of law firm Katz, Marshall & Banks.

“Our mission as an organization is to make sure working people make wages on which they can care for their families, that they are treated with respect and dignity and have a voice on the job, so we’re working hard to make sure all staff know they are respected and that they have a voice in decisions that affect their work environment”,” said SEIU Executive Vice President Leslie Frane, who is leading the internal investigation.

"Open dialogue means creating a space where people can talk about their experiences, concerns, and changes they think are necessary to help ensure that we continue to fulfill our goal of having a respectful working environment," she added.

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