After a long-fought battle, Kickstarter employees successfully voted to unionize, marking a major victory for unionization efforts within the tech industry.
The technology industry has been famously difficult to unionize, with little to nothing to show for most efforts. Kickstarter appears to be the exception, however, although not by much. Employees voted 46 to 37 in favor of the union.
In a statement on the company’s blog, CEO Aziz Hasan voiced cautious support. Hasan’s tone is not surprising giving how much Kickstarter opposed the bid, even firing two employees who were organizing such efforts, although the company denies the firings were related.
“Today we learned that in a 46 to 37 vote, our staff has decided to unionize,” said Hasan. “We support and respect this decision, and we are proud of the fair and democratic process that got us here. We’ve worked hard over the last decade to build a different kind of company, one that measures its success by how well it achieves its mission: helping to bring creative projects to life. Our mission has been common ground for everyone here during this process, and it will continue to guide us as we enter this new phase together.”
The union, Kickstarter United, is organizing with OPEIU (Office and Professional Employees International Union) Local 153. In an age of increasing employee activism, it’s highly unlikely Kickstarter will be the last company to unionize.
