The liberal activist group Southern Poverty Law Center, known for producing an annual list of so-called hate groups, is accused of retaliating against union workers who say they were fired by the center because of their organizing efforts.
The Southern Poverty Law Center Union said the SPLC is “hoarding” a $1 billion endowment and had no financial reason to cut staff.
Yet the organization fired more than 60 workers last week — one-quarter of its workforce — according to public statements from the dismissed staff.
Among those cut were five SPLC union leaders and the union chair.
“Make no mistake — laying off dozens of employees, many of whom were union activists, less than a year before we will bargain our second contract was no coincidence,” the SPLC Union posted on X.
The cuts, ex-staffers said, eliminate the SPLC’s Immigrant Justice team and the Southern Immigrant Freedom initiative, which provides free legal services for illegal immigrants detained in the Deep South.
Ex-staffers, decrying the cuts on social media, said SPLC President Margaret Huang announced the reductions would allow the organization to focus on racial justice issues, “but failed to explain how eliminating immigrant justice work and anti-racist education work served that goal.”
The cuts will also end the SPLC’s decades-old Learning for Justice initiative, which publishes a magazine, educational resources and school workshops that aim to “dismantle white supremacy, strengthen intersectional movements and advance the human rights of all people.”
Ryan Mauro, who investigates activist groups for the conservative-leaning Capital Research Center, said the layoffs highlight SPLC’s corruption and mistreatment of its employees.
“But there’s a bigger implication to this story,” he said. “It shows a supervillain-level of willingness to engage in deliberate deception and cruelty for selfish gain without any moral compass or empathy for those it harms. A person or organization with these qualities will inevitably reflect those qualities in their writing and supposedly credible research.”
The SPLC did not respond to an inquiry about the cuts or the complaints from the dismissed employees.
The layoffs come just days after the SPLC published its annual “hate map” of groups it claims are anti-government or racist.
The list is notorious for leaving left-wing groups off their list and this year made no mention of anti-semitic, anti-Israel groups demonstrating around the country in support of the terrorist organization Hamas.
The 2023 list labeled 535 hate groups and 835 anti-government extremist groups, with the addition of 200 new organizations added since 2022.
The hate map added chapters of Moms for Liberty and other conservative, parental rights organizations and Evangelical groups and includes repeat offenders such as the Ku Klux Klan in Virginia and the far-right militia group Proud Boys.
Some organizations listed on SPLC’s hate map have sued for defamation, but so far only one case has survived in court.
In 2023, U.S. District Judge W. Keith Watkins ruled the Georgia-based Dustin Inman Society could proceed with a lawsuit against SPLC, which labeled the society an “anti-immigrant hate group” because it opposes illegal immigration.
Despite the ongoing lawsuit, the SPLC’s new hate map again includes the Dustin Inman Society, listing it as “anti-immigrant.”
The organization is well-funded according to tax documents.
It raised hundreds of millions of dollars over the decades through direct mail solicitations, lawsuits and contributions from corporations, foundations and prominent celebrities.
The SPLC also keeps some of its funding in tax-sheltered, offshore bank accounts, according to the Capital Research Center.
The organization’s 2023 tax returns show $170 million in revenue, $122 million in expenses, $749 million in assets and $37.8 million in liabilities.
Ms. Huang was paid more than $500,000 in salary and benefits in 2023. An additional 17 employees were paid roughly $200,000.
The 2023 tax forms reported $681 million in private investment funds.
Past reports from Charity Watch, which rates nonprofits, gave SPLC an F rating for “hoarding” donations.
Actor George Clooney and his wife Amal, a human rights lawyer, gave the SPLC $1 million in 2017. Apple CEO Tim Cook also donated $1 million on behalf of the company and solicited SPLC donations from Apple employees.
Ex-SPLC workers who are members of the union did not respond to media inquiries, but on social media, they vowed not to give up.
“This is designed to punish union activists and intimidate employees,” the union organizers posted on X. “Management’s goals here are clear, but they will not win. Our Union is strong.”
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.
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