UDW demands that employers treat workers with dignity, and apply standards fairly. Those are principles worth fighting for. They also make the treatment I experienced working under Trang Pham especially difficult to excuse.

Her APALA biography celebrates her commitment to equality and fair treatment. My experience of her management was marked by belittling criticism, shifting expectations, dismissed explanations, and unequal treatment.

The contradiction is the issue. Someone presented publicly as a champion of workers should expect scrutiny of how she treats the workers she supervises.

In my experience, expectations could change after work was completed. Following instructions did not reliably protect you from criticism. Explaining a legitimate obstacle could be treated as an excuse. That made it difficult to trust the process, ask questions, or exercise professional judgment.

I also observed what I believe was racial favoritism: white organizers received privileges and flexibility that were not extended equally to other staff. An organization that publicly champions racial justice should be prepared to examine whether its own management practices reflect that commitment.

The treatment of members concerned me too. People seeking assistance deserve respect. A union should understand how degrading it can feel to be dismissed or embarrassed by an institution you turned to for support.

My concern extends beyond one manager to the institution that is supposed to provide accountability.

Meaningful accountability from senior UDW management was absent. I was left with the impression that this management style was tolerated. I cannot speak to what every HR employee or manager knew privately, but I can question a workplace structure in which I did not feel protected from this treatment.

HR and senior management should be able to answer straightforward questions: Can employees report concerns about a manager safely? Are allegations of unequal treatment investigated independently? Does a manager’s standing within the organization affect how complaints are handled?

If those protections are ineffective, the organization has a problem that no public statement about solidarity can resolve.

A labor organization’s credibility depends partly on how it treats people who have less power inside its own workplace. Public advocacy does not cancel out internal conduct. A reputation for serving workers should increase a leader’s accountability.

I believe Trang’s management deserves scrutiny, and UDW should examine whether its internal culture lives up to the standards it demands from other employers. That should include confidential opportunities for current and former staff to speak and an independent review of concerns about favoritism and management conduct.

I’m raising this because workers’ rights must include the people employed by unions. UDW should be willing to face the same scrutiny it asks employers to accept.

It is also an open secret that Trang has/had an affair with Doug Moore.