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UPDATE: CEO Jaime Uzeta resigns. We celebrate the win and will keep up the fight until our demands are met. Read more here
CEO Jaime Uzeta and Public Allies National Board must acknowledge the harm they have caused to primarily BIPOC staff and allies.
CEO Jaime Uzeta must rescind the layoffs and direct HR to enter into good faith negotiations with staff who may not want to return to the organization.
CEO Jaime Uzeta must resign for gross negligence, failed leadership, and a gross inability to align with Public Allies’ stated Core Values and Mission.
The National Board of Directors must appoint new board members including alumni and former staff, and all current board members must resign.
On Thursday, July 7th, 2022
What Happened?
Staff Were Given Zero Notice
Staff were given zero notice when CEO Jaime Uzeta shut down nearly half of sites across the country and laid off over half of workers on Public Allies' payroll with no notice and virtually no input from staff or local stakeholders. This mass firing came after Public Allies received a $10 million gift from MacKenzie Scott to support the Public Allies AmeriCorps apprenticeship program, including at the sites that were suddenly shut down leaving corps members without staff to manage them.
The Number of Alumni on Staff Plummeted
The number of ALUMNI on staff PLUMMETED. Before the firings, 27% of the national office workers (not including local site staff) were alumni of the Public Allies program. All but 1 alumni on the national team were fired, for a new total of 7%. All of the alumni who were fired came from the National Programs Team.
92% of Those Fired Were BIPOC People
92% of those fired from the national team were BIPOC people. 58% of those fired were black women.
The Entired National Program Team was Cut
The entire national program team was cut. The National Program Team composed of 100% BIPOC workers, mostly Black women and Public Allies alumni, was entirely eliminated. This team, which supported sites and alumni, held much of the institutional knowledge of the Public Allies model within in the national office. The team also managed the multi-million dollar federal AmeriCorps grant which is used to operate the Public Allies program across the country.
White-Owned Companies Planned the Firings
White-owned companies planned the firings. After facing criticism from staff for poor leadership and not living up to the values of Public Allies, CEO Jaime Uzeta hired Jan Glick & Associates and Orr Group to devise the plan after dismissing a Black Woman-owned human resources firm.