Dive Brief:

• Netflix is getting jeered for excluding the employees in its DVD-by-mail service from a recently introduced parental leave benefit, according to an Associated Press article. Netflix has about 450 temporary, part- and full-time employees in its steadily shrinking but still profitable DVD division.
• At least three online petitions posted by activist groups are urging Netflix to extend the baby benefit beyond the roughly 2,000 workers in the Internet video service that generates most of its revenue, the AP reports.
• In a statement, Netflix says its DVD employees get bigger paychecks and better benefits than people in comparable jobs, though the company is "regularly reviewing policies across our business to ensure they are competitive and help us attract and keep the best employees."

Dive Insight:

While the new Netflix paid parental leave policy is admirable and received accolades early on, its decision to originally portray the new perk as applying to all employees has come back to haunt the company. 

"Netflix is leaving workers who could benefit the most from a generous paid leave policy behind and that is offensive," Nita Chaudhary, co-founder of UltraViolet, a women's rights group, told the AP.

Besides UltraViolet, the two other groups pressuring Netflix about the limits on its parental leave policy are Coworker.org, which fights for workers' rights, and Democracy for America, a political organization founded by Howard Dean, former chairman of the Democratic National Committee and a one-time candidate for president.

Democracy for America sent emails Thursday urging its members to challenge Netflix for discriminating against its DVD workers. "A worker's ability to care for their family should not be dependent on what department they work in," wrote Mia Moore, Democracy for America's chief of staff.