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Kickstarter's Staff Is Unionizing (theverge.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Verge: The staff of Kickstarter announced plans to unionize today. If recognized, Kickstarter would be the first major tech company with union representation in the United States. Members of the union, which goes by Kickstarter United, say they want to improve inclusivity and transparency at the company. To unionize, they're working with the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 153. In a statement, the union said: "Kickstarter United is proud to start the process of unionizing to safeguard and enrich Kickstarter's charter commitments to creativity, equity, and a positive impact on society. We trust in the democratic process and are confident that the leadership of Kickstarter stands with us in that effort. Kickstarter has always been a trailblazer, and this is a pivotal moment for tech. We want to set the standard for the entire industry. Now is the time. Come together. Unionize."
In a world of Facebook and Twitter, Kickstarter feels almost quaint in its mission -- "to help bring creative projects to life" -- and in its charter as a public benefit corporation, which means that the company is "obligated to consider the impact of their decisions on society, not only shareholders." Its staff unionizing means the company will also have to consider more seriously its responsibilities to its employees. It also means that its fellows in Silicon Valley and beyond could be next. Kickstarter is fundamentally a tech company, and its staff unionizing with the OPEIU shows a way forward for other employees in the space. Kickstarter's staff is unionizing because they want to "promote our collective values: inclusion and solidarity, transparency and accountability; a seat at the table," the organizers write, noting that in the decade that Kickstarter has been around, it's democratized crowdfunding and brought more than 150,000 projects to life. "Kickstarter's efforts are incomplete, and these values have failed to manifest in our workplace. We can do better together -- for ourselves and our industry."
In a world of Facebook and Twitter, Kickstarter feels almost quaint in its mission -- "to help bring creative projects to life" -- and in its charter as a public benefit corporation, which means that the company is "obligated to consider the impact of their decisions on society, not only shareholders." Its staff unionizing means the company will also have to consider more seriously its responsibilities to its employees. It also means that its fellows in Silicon Valley and beyond could be next. Kickstarter is fundamentally a tech company, and its staff unionizing with the OPEIU shows a way forward for other employees in the space. Kickstarter's staff is unionizing because they want to "promote our collective values: inclusion and solidarity, transparency and accountability; a seat at the table," the organizers write, noting that in the decade that Kickstarter has been around, it's democratized crowdfunding and brought more than 150,000 projects to life. "Kickstarter's efforts are incomplete, and these values have failed to manifest in our workplace. We can do better together -- for ourselves and our industry."
I worked for a large auto maker and was in a union for a few years after I started. I ended up leaving the union once I realized that it was an option. That plant is now shut down.
Bad things a union brings:
Terrible workers getting paid the same as great workers.
Unsustainable compensation for workers.
Taking dues and giving them to political causes that some of their members may not support.
Would never want to be in a union again.
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
Bad start, when the headline writer and the article author feel the need to lie to their readers from the very beginning.
All of the "kickstarters staff" isn't unionizing, the article writer tries his hardest to claim this is on behalf of all of their staff, but it's obvious from the end that there are some people who work at Kickstarter (how many exactly isn't stated... hmmm.... wonder why?) who want them to unionize, but they haven't actually unionized yet. That requires and actual vote of the staff who would be effected, which apparently hasn't happened yet.
As far as I can tell from the various articles, there are some members of staff who are working on "forming" a labor union called Kickstarter United.
The party of stupid and the party of evil get together and do something both stupid and evil, then call it bipartisan.
Say "hello" to bad employees you can never fire....
This is a very misinformed myth. It's the same myth as the welfare queen. Someone finds a handful of examples and then misrepresents those individuals as representative of the entire group.
I would ruthlessly reject any attempt at my staff unionizing as well
Of course you would, it is antithetical to your religion, even if you cannot articulate why.
they are paid very well for where they are and what they do
Anyone who has read your comments where you brag about not paying your employees at all knows that this line is bullshit. You have bragged many times about what you have done to avoid paying your employees.
I have 0 interest to talk to groups of people
People will negotiate with me on their own, not as groups, it sounds like coercion and oppression by groups and I won't stand for it
You really don't understand how union negotiations work, do you? If you had 10 employees and they were all unionized, you would negotiate with one union rep and you'd be done. You wouldn't negotiate with all of them in one giant meeting, it would be you and the union rep - and then what you decided with that rep would be passed down to the unionized employees.
In fact, it would actually save you time compared to negotiating with all of the employees individually. Granted, you wouldn't get the opportunity to completely screw over some as the rep would set a wage floor, but you would spend less time negotiating and more time doing whatever the hell you think you do with the rest of your time.
if I wanted to talk to groups I would talk to governments and I hate governments that are not led by the leader of the cult that I spend so much time recruiting for
There, fixed that for ya. You're welcome.