The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the
nation's largest LGBT rights advocate, on Tuesday laid off 22
employees.
The non-profit said that the layoffs
were due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. HRC said that the
cancellations of critical fundraisers had led to a drop in revenue.
The laid-off employees will receive at
least a 2-month severance package based on tenure and health
insurance coverage through COBRA for at least three months, the
Washington
Blade
reported.
The organization is also trimming
expenses. Executives have taken a pay cut and three full-time jobs
have been converted into part-time positions. HRC has also frozen its
hiring.
“COVID-19 is affecting the nation and
no industry or workplace is free from its impact,” interim HRC
Communications Director Nick Morrow said in a statement. “For us,
the economic reality is that because of the cancellation of events
that represent critical funding streams, the decline of our economy,
and our ineligibility for any federal funding, we could not make up
this shortfall without impossibly difficult decisions.”
“HRC has been in a state of growth
for years, and unfortunately, this economic climate forced us to
recalibrate our budget and economic forecasts,” Morrow continued.
“Despite these challenges, however, our membership and volunteer
infrastructure remain strong as we prepare and stay focused on the
most consequential election of our lifetimes and on programming that
is more critical now than ever. With a staff of more than 200
employees, our investment in this election cycle remains our most
significant yet.”