Kickstarter United strikes in New York City for fairer contract
The workers were joined on day one by elected officials and various union leaders.
Kickstarter United is holding an ongoing strike rally outside of Kickstarter Board Member and investor Fred Wilson's venture capitalist firm, Union Square Ventures, following the October 2 announcement that the union will be striking over the failed negotiations of its workers’ second contract. Members that include the Office and Professional employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 153 continue to picket over two key issues: to codify the workers’ current four-day, 32-hour work week, and a minimum salary that ensures a livable wage.
They were joined on the strike’s first day by elected officials and leaders from New York Times Tech Guild, as well as the NYC Central Labour Council, including Phara Souffrant Forrest, New York state assembly member; John Cruickshank, New York Times Tech guild member; and Brendan Griffith, president of the New York City Central Labor Council. In addition, striking in solidarity with Kickstarter United are the Alphabet Workers Union members, known informally as the Google union, who organized their own simultaneous rally in Seattle.
“Kickstarter management knows that the four-day, 32-hour work week that we’ve had for the past three and a half years is the right move. Our fight is looking to enshrine a working condition of ours to shield it from the ever-revolving door of executive leadership,” said Dannel Jurado, Kickstarter United member, steward, collective bargaining committee member, and member of Local 153 Executive Board in a press release.
Striking in solidarity with Kickstarter United are the Alphabet Workers Union members, known informally as the Google union, who organized their own simultaneous rally in Seattle.
According to Kickstarter United, Kickstarter management has been adamant about returning to a five-day, 40-hour work week. This is despite the company presenting itself as a “forward-thinking organization”, with the four-day work week program largely pegged to Kickstarter’s status as a public benefit corporation since 2015. What this means is that its corporate goals include making a positive impact on society, instead of a focus on profit margins alone. This is also in light of legislation introducing a pilot program in the New York State Assembly, which points to a gradual normalization of a four-day workweek. Moreover, the union has pointed out that its calls for a minimum salary of $85,000 corresponds with what is considered low income in New York.
“As the sponsor of legislation calling for a four day work week, because our bodies deserve leisure, our bodies deserve rest, our bodies deserve creativity. We don’t deserve to be micromanaged, that’s what we are fighting for in my bill because we need to protect our workforce. The time is here, the time is now to tell management to kick rocks,” said Forrest.
“Kickstarter workers deserve more than poverty wages in one of the most expensive cities in the world. They are fighting for a fair minimum salary that reflects New York’s reality, and management’s refusal to meet that demand is unacceptable,” said Griffith. “On top of that, the company is trying to reserve the right to force changes to established working conditions without negotiating with the union. That’s not how collective bargaining works. The NYC Labor Movement stands with Kickstarter United in demanding a contract that guarantees fair pay and respect on the job.” Until an agreement is reached between the union and the Kickstarter management, the strike will continue to take place for the foreseeable future.
