Photo credit: Bandcamp United
Bandcamp employees officially voted 31-7 to form Bandcamp United, a union represented by the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) in partnership with the Tech Workers Union Local 1010.
The majority of eligible Bandcamp staff have done so voted 31 to 7 to unionize Established Bandcamp United, a union represented by the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU). The results are now awaiting confirmation from the National Labor Relations Board, followed by a collective bargaining process.
“Bandcamp United and Bandcamp management are committed to working together to continue to advance fair economic conditions for our workers and the artists who depend on us,” read a comment Joint Statement by Bandcamp co-founder Ethan Diamond and Bandcamp United. “We look forward to negotiating with an open mind and working in good faith to advance the best interests of all of our employees and the artist and label community we serve.”
“While we won this election by 24 votes, the leadership contested 16 ballots. Those ballots were not counted,” Bandcamp United tweeted, noting that the contractors working for Bandcamp voted to form a union but were not eligible to join. “To be clear, we will not leave our colleagues behind and plan to fight for the inclusion of all beneficiaries in our union.”
“Forming our union is critical to our ability to do our best work and deliver on Bandcamp’s promise and mission of providing fair economic terms, direct support and transparency for us and all of our users,” Bandcamp employees wrote in march when he first announced plans to organize.
Epic Games, Bandcamp’s parent company as of 2022, has previously worked to counter union efforts within its own company, prompting Bandcamp employees to urge the company to facilitate a “timely and fair election” if they wish to unionize . Bandcamp linked its union efforts early on with OPEIU’s Tech Workers Union Local 1010.