Workers at Kickstarter US have formed a union called Kickstarter United and are calling for recognition from the company as the first step for better working conditions. Their demands include equal pay for equal work, more diversity and an environment of care and community. We stand in absolute solidarity with these issues and support all workers such as those in Kickstarter and across the world in the struggle for equality.
SAN supports the tried and tested power of unionised action and advocates union recognition. In light of our place within the Kickstarter Community, we offer our solidarity out to Kickstarter United and offer our network of artists’ support.
The public message from the union to creators and backers stresses that the workers are not calling for a boycott, and that Kickstarter employees of all sides of the conflict remain working to support projects across the platform. Here’s their initial post on that. For this reason we are committed to seeing through this project, which supports artists creating social change adjacent to the change the union is also fighting for. As a network of artists who are often zero hours contracted, self-employed and with limited support, we understand these struggles as interconnected. Furthermore, we will explore avenues through which the union and the artists within Social Art Network can directly cooperate. Based in the UK, our project has a distant proximity; nonetheless we will do what we can.
Kickstarter leadership themselves have put out a FAQ from Kickstarter about how they are approaching workers trying to unionise. It outlines the leadership’s support of staff members holding a ballot to vote on union recognition, while resisting staff voting in favour of unionisation. Although opening recognition to the staff to decide on is healthy and accepted by union organisers, it is only the beginning of a dispute no matter which way the vote goes. Whatever happens in the weeks, months and years to come, we stand with the workers and their goals.
We encourage all to #RecognizeKSRU and support unionising workers in Kickstarter.
Please support SAN UK artists developing their projects around social change here