Kickstarter United, the union representing 59 community support specialists, trust and safety analysts, marketing professionals, software engineers, and other tech employees of the crowdfunding platform, has voted to accept an agreement negotiated with management and return to work, the union announced. The union was on strike for 42 days after going out on October 2 (see “Kickstarter on Strike“). Although negotiations had been ongoing for months before the strike, and many issues had been resolved (see “Kickstarter Responds“), key issues remained, including the extension of the company’s 32-hour, 4-day work week, which had been in place for three years, and a minimum living wage for New York City, which the union said is roughly $85,000/year.
The new agreement includes (according to the union):
- The 4-day workweek, with provisions for limited temporary changes to a five-day workweek with notice and time limits.
- A new higher salary floor and an escalating increase in the floor based on the cost of living, along with a $6000 bonus for the lowest-paid employees.
- Commitments by management not to replace workers with AI or contractors.
Kickstarters United had urged project creators and backers to continue to work with the platform during the strike; crowdfunding continued with management handling the roles of the striking employees during the strike.
Source: ICv2
