Union says Democratic fundraiser ActBlue not living up to ‘progressive values’ after mass layoffs

ActBlue, the nonprofit group behind the fundraising platform used by numerous Democratic politicians and organizations, was accused by a union representing its workers of not living up to “progressive values” after the organization laid off 17% of its workforce. 

The round of layoffs announced Monday affected employees at ActBlue primarily in non-technical roles, according to Politico, and ActBlue Union said in a statement that 32 of the 54 employees laid off were members of its union. 

“We are disappointed in Leadership and the Board’s refusal to take pay cuts or stipend freezes. Prioritizing executive profit over rank and file workers’ livelihoods does not live up to  [ActBlue’s] progressive values,” a post from ActBlue Union read on Twitter.

“We call upon Leadership to freeze further layoffs until all other cost-saving options are exhausted, & for [ActBlue] Leadership to live up to their progressive ideals,” the union added. 

The layoffs come less than two months after ActBlue Union ratified its first collective bargaining agreement with ActBlue, after nearly two years of negotiations. 

ActBlue CEO Regina Wallace-Jones — who was named leader of the organization in January, just three weeks before the contract between the group and ActBlue Union was ratified – said she expected strong fundraising for Democrats and progressives to continue despite the layoffs.

“We have seen strong fundraising for Democrats and progressives across the country over the past two cycles, and we very much expect that strong fundraising to continue,” Wallace-Jones said in a statement. 

“But we need to ensure we are serving our users as sustainably and effectively as possible during the 2024 cycle and beyond. The center of our work is providing a technology platform for campaigns, organizations, and donors to drive change, and we are looking to focus our efforts on innovating and expanding our product while also controlling our costs,” she added. 

ActBlue reported processing more than $3.5 billion for Democratic candidates and progressive organizations during the 2022 cycle, according to Politico, from more than 7 million individual donors.