Employees of the influential Kickstarter crowdfunding platform voted to form a union. The decision ends months of conflict in a small tech company in New York, raising the veil of uncertainty from hundreds of creators who regularly use the platform to pay for tabletop and video games.
The announcement was made this morning by the editors of Kickstarter United, who He posted a photo of the crew working to celebrate their achievements. Last year Kickstarter executives refused to voluntarily endorse the union, forcing the votes into law National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The final tally was very close.
"Today we heard that with 46 to 37 votes, our staff decided to meet," Kickstarter chief executive Aziz Hasan said in a statement released to Polygon. "We support and respect this decision, and we are proud of the justice and democracy we have brought here. We have worked hard over the past decade to build a unique kind of company, one that balances its success with how well it achieves its mission: to help deliver creative projects. as the process goes on, and he will continue to lead us as we enter this new phase together. ”
Kickstarter, which was officially launched in 2009, has become a boon to the tabletop expansion industry, including board games, role-playing games, and card games. In conjunction with video games, the overall game category now costs more than one-third of the revenue behind Kickstarter.
In September the shooting of several labor organizers encouraged hundreds of game creators to sign a letter of support for Kickstarter United. Many prominent crowdfunding campaigns have been delayed due to that side, and many founders have since opted to file a union sponsorship statement. Today's announcement alleviates some of those problems. In the meantime, complaints about those firings are pending with the NLRB.
Most importantly though, the fact is that Kickstarter is the first modern tech company in America to vote to form a union.
"It's still a long way, but now the real work is in front of us," Kickstarter United said in a tweet. "And for all the tech workers and accountants who fight for your rights, this is just the beginning!"
