Workers’ Dignity Sues Former Director

The steering committee and board of local workers’ center Workers’ Dignity found itself struggling against its recently fired executive director — and they're now taking the fight to court.

The board terminated Cecilia Prado on March 6, and the move was met with resistance as staffers went on strike and occupied Workers' Dignity headquarters on Whitsett Road. Virtual spaces were occupied as well — Prado and staffers maintained control of the Workers’ Dignity social media accounts and used the platform to push back against the board’s actions as well as lobbing various accusations of misconduct. An account claiming to represent the board, @dignidadcondignidad, has since been activated to contest Prado’s allegations.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Davidson County Chancery Court, seeks to bar Prado from occupying any Workers’ Dignity property and to enforce the termination of her role. It also lays out reasons for her termination, describing months of tensions between Prado and the board. The lawsuit also says that Prado threatened to fire a worker who disagreed with her leadership and alleges that Prado had been in an intimate relationship with a contractor accused of sexual harassment, extending his contract rather than firing him. 

Prado denies the claims entirely and tells the Scene she never had the power to hire or fire people. She also says that while she visits the headquarters, she’s not actively occupying Workers’ Dignity or staying in the office overnight. She says the board and the nonprofit were disorganized when she joined in 2019 and that her push for higher standards and a more recent effort to restructure leadership put her in conflict with the board.

The lawsuit also disputes a vote to add new members to the steering committee conducted on March 19, saying Prado organized the efforts. The former director says she wasn’t even present for the vote. The operator of the Workers’ Dignity Instagram account shared a notarized document of the vote.

Since the strike commenced, charges against Workers’ Dignity have appeared on the National Labor Relation Board’s website alleging retaliation, coercive actions and improper discharges.

A copy of the lawsuit is below.

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