Community Action Duluth employees host press conference amid management complaints

DULUTH, Minn. — Community Action Duluth, a non-profit since 1982, prides itself on empowering and engaging the community to eliminate poverty, however that pride is currently being clouded by controversy.

On Nov. 20, AFSCME and some of the organization’s employees held a press conference in front of the Community Action building protesting Executive director Classie Dudley.

Employees both present and former claim there’s a “hostile work environment, financial mismanagement, and leadership failures” under Dudley’s watch.

The workers say there’s been no engagement with management to hear their concerns either.

“That’s a common tactic by an anti-union employer, and so I’m not surprised. Disappointed, absolutely yes, what we would like is what we’re bringing forward investigated, and we haven’t even gotten acknowledgement of what we have brought forward, let alone any form of investigation,” said Ken Loeffler-Kemp, a AFSCME Council 5 representative of the union member employees.

Just minutes before the press conference was held, Executive Director Dudley released a six-page statement to the media, calling the allegations “misinterpretations, inaccuracies, and plainly false claims.” Dudley also said she is being targeted because of her race, sex, and age.

In said statement, the board of the directors says, in part, “This is not an accusation against any one individual. It is a recognition of the broader systems and dynamics that often subject leaders of color, especially Black women, to disproportionate criticism, unnecessarily harsh judgments, and public narratives that question and attempt to undermine their competence, integrity, or authority.”

The union claims they have recently filed an Unfair Labor Practice lawsuit against the management, while Dudley’s full statement can be found on our website.