Kickstarter staff strike ends

Kickstarter employees’ union Kickstarter United announced last week that, after 42 days of striking, they had reached a solution, gaining “historic protections” for their workers. They include “strong protections codified” for a four-day workweek, “improving pay equity by establishing a salary floor, with a bonus for our most undervalued workers,” and safeguards against generative AI.

Their website elaborates Kickstarter “cannot replace a role with AI, and management must work with employees if AI changes a role,” and their new contract includes “strong protections against replacing full time employees with contractors,” as well as promises for “more input from employees, with a regular forum for business operations.”

For more, head to Kickstarter United’s official page. The union had been negotiating for a new contract with the platform since April, before its previous one expired in July, and voted to go on strike on October 2. You can check out coverage of a protest held outside the offices of venture capitalist Fred Wilson, a major investor in the company, in Manhattan on October 7, here.

However, the union told users they could continue to crowdfund projects, including comics, on the site during their absence. This resulted in some works being affected, like the A1 Deadline special: the book’s creators opted to replace some of the comics intended for it following legal threats from Frazer Brown, instead of risking an automated suspension from the site.

Regardless, congratulations to Kickstarter United on reaching the new deal, including gaining a four-day week!