Several employees with former Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s 2020 presidential campaign are calling on the Democratic Party (DNC) to drop their former boss from the Democratic National Convention’s speaking schedule.
In a letter obtained by CNN, six former staffers who are currently embroiled in a lawsuit with the former mayor argue that Bloomberg violated promises he made to his staff during the campaign by firing them after his primary bid ended, and therefore should not be honored with a speaking slot at the convention.
“This is the type of greedy, anti-worker move we’d expect from Donald Trump, but not from a Democratic presidential candidate,” reads the letter from the six former staffers, according to CNN. “The Democratic Party and its platform strongly oppose the immoral and unfair things that Mike Bloomberg did to thousands of his staffers during his presidential campaign.
“Whether or not you can honor our request, we hope that you will ask Mike Bloomberg to make good on his promises to his staffers. It’s not too late to put many of us to work to help elect Joe Biden, retain the House, and take back the Senate. And it’s not too late to ensure that all former field staffers receive the pay and benefits that Mike Bloomberg promised us,” they reportedly continued.
A spokesperson for the Democratic Party did not immediately return a request for comment on the letter. A representative for Bloomberg contended to CNN that all staffers saw their health benefits extended through the election cycle and that no staffer was promised employment through November.
“Although no one was promised employment through November, Mike Bloomberg remains the biggest supporter of the Democratic Party, including through a transfer of $18 million to DNC organizing efforts to hire hundreds of organizers in battleground states,” the spokesperson said.
Bloomberg’s attorneys have sought to have the lawsuit filed by the six staffers dismissed, arguing that their contract stipulated the “at will” terms of their employment meaning that they could be fired at any time for any reason.