Press Contact:
Oakland, Cal – The Sierra Club Board announced this afternoon that Executive Director Ben Jealous has been terminated for cause.
In response to the news, Erica Dodt, President of the Progressive Workers Union (PWU), said:
“We are heartened to see the Sierra Club take action to terminate Ben Jealous for cause. Over a year ago, our union members overwhelmingly voted no confidence in Jealous’ leadership, citing his mismanagement of our organization’s strategy and budget and his ongoing attacks on our union. We hope that his departure will open the door for a stronger relationship between workers and management, and allow the Sierra Club to better focus our efforts on fighting the Trump administration and protecting the environment.”
In a statement to staff, Sierra Club Board President Patrick Murphy wrote:
“Following an extensive evaluation of his conduct, the Board of Directors unanimously voted to terminate Ben Jealous’ employment for cause… The decision the Board made was a difficult but principled one to uphold [our] values and ensure every individual at the Sierra Club is held equally accountable, with no special treatment or favor for those holding influence and power.”
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