Central City Concern has always been an organization many of us have admired for its dedication to helping those in need. However, recent events have forced us to question their integrity. Olivia O., a well-loved and dedicated employee and the only union steward of color at Old Town Clinic, was unjustly terminated from her position after voicing her support against moving all Health Assistants to a new Call Center and for documenting Central City Concern HR’s illegal retaliation against an employee of color for reporting racist comments made by their coworker.

Olivia is the only health assistant at the clinic who is also a Union Steward, an elected member of her union local’s executive board, a fluent Spanish speaker and interpreter, and she has been targeted repeatedly by management and by the all-white, Trump-supporting union leads for pushing back against the stagnant wages, racism in the workplace, and most recently, Central City Concern’s decision to move all Health Assistants out of the clinic and into a siloed off call center, away from patients and providers. She is also the union’s only standing member connecting the shop to the Labor Committee to Defend Immigrants, and severing her from the organization severs ties with immigrant advocacy in an already deeply white, segregated workplace since her wife (and author of our local’s anti-deportation resolution to be considered at our union’s international convention in August) was terminated in March for antiracism and is awaiting to hear back if the union will take her case towards arbitration or not. She has struggled to find openings even for low wage entry level work. Now we are both unemployed while raising an infant baby during the worst economic downturn we’ve ever seen.

By removing Health Assistants from the health clinics, the rapport built between patients and their care team dissolves. Doctors have to use more of their time for lengthy administrative tasks than actually providing care. The workload at the clinic for the remaining health workers and professionals increases and the Health Assistants no longer have direct lines of communication with their providers to provide that care. This is happening precisely at a moment when homelessness and adult poverty is at a historic all time high. We shouldn’t be straining the systems that have too limited of resources to provide for all the increased need that’s already there. This is a boom industry, but they’re cutting the budget and increasing workloads.

Racism should not be tolerated by an organization that receives public funds and serves the community. It is deeply concerning that employees of color cannot voice their concerns about racism at the workplace to HR without then being accused of discrimination in the meeting that employee called to address the racism they had witnessed and experienced. This was not an investigation of the employee but a meeting the employee called to begin an investigation yet HR was hostile to this employee and shamed them for making reports on behavior that violates company policy. I was called into this meeting because although the employee was the one to request it they felt they had received little support from management who at lower levels had belittled their concerns. Employees should not be shamed for making reports on discriminatory behavior. I represented this employee the same day management attempted to call me into a disciplinary meeting while refusing me steward representation.

Olivia has worked tirelessly to support the mission of Central City Concern and its values, and her dismissal not only threatens her livelihood and that her family, but sends a chilling message to others who want to stand up for workers' rights.  It is notable she was initially refused to have union representation - her Weingarten rights - at her initial hearing with management and investigatory hearing. Management failed to pay Olivia her full paycheck during her paid administrative leave, leaving her family at risk of homelessness during their retaliatory investigations. On the day of her dismissal, they withheld her paycheck from her and did not have any of her additional pay available for her at her meeting. Only at the meeting did she learn they would not pay her until 24 hours after the meeting.

Unionizing is a fundamental right that ensures fair treatment, protects jobs, promotes transparency, and provides a platform for employees to discuss and resolve workplace issues. Unfortunately, Central City Concern, despite portraying itself as compassionate and community-centered, is engaging in union-busting tactics—aimed at intimidating employees and suppressing their attempts to keep the union strong and make it work. This isn't just an injustice to Olivia but an attack on the rights and voices of all employees.

This comes only months after her spouse, a Jewish trans woman, was abruptly fired without escalatory discipline, after interacting with an open nazi patient. Their crime? A post-it note in a shared restroom that read “Immigrants welcome here.” We both worked to provide services to the homeless but our organization is committing to waves of mass layoffs at the exact moment homelessness and adult+childhood poverty are at an all time historic high. Now we face the prospect of homelessness ourselves.

We are calling on Central City Concern to reinstate Olivia  immediately, honor her commitment to the organization's mission, and halt any further anti-union activities. This is not just about Olivia’s job; it is about protecting the hard-fought rights of every worker and maintaining the integrity and values Central City Concern claims to stand for. We are also calling for an immediate stop to the Call Center, and allowing the providers and health assistants to stay together for the benefit of patient care.

It's essential for us to rally together in support of Olivia and other employees at Central City Concern who are being silenced for standing up for their rights. Let us show that the community stands firmly behind Olivia and workers everywhere who are fighting for fair treatment and justice in the workplace.

Please join us in signing this petition to demand justice for Olivia and ensure Central City Concern upholds its responsibility to its employees and community. Together, we can make a difference.