As Kickstarter project creators, we want to express our unequivocal support for Kickstarter’s workers in their attempt to form a union. We are disturbed that Kickstarter has fired multiple members of the union’s organizing committee and is pursuing aggressive tactics in an effort to keep its employees from exercising their basic right to bargain collectively. 

The success of our Kickstarter projects is in part thanks to the hard work of the company’s staff, who have put together a powerful tool for helping small projects succeed. Some of us have worked with Kickstarter before, and would hope to work with Kickstarter again in the future. But it is impossible to partner with a company that does not respect its workers and is not willing to honor their rights. Kickstarter’s unlawful and unethical actions threaten to do significant damage to its platform, and to the creators who rely on it. Kickstarter’s unionizing workers have not asked for a boycott of the platform. However, if the union believed it undermined their organizing effort we could not continue to work with Kickstarter. We will support them throughout their campaign in any way they ask. 

We call on Kickstarter to respect the unionization effort and and cease all illegal retaliation. We also ask other Kickstarter project creators to express their solidarity with Kickstarter workers’ union and to condemn the company’s firings.

The Editorial Staff, 

Current Affairs 

 

The Editorial Staff, 

Pinko Magazine

 

The Editorial Staff,

Protean Magazine

 

The Editorial Staff,

The Baffler

 

Matt Bors and the Editorial Staff,

The Nib Magazine

 

Additional signatories below. If you have previously run or are currently running a Kickstarter campaign, please sign onto this statement here and your name and project will be added here.

  1. Benjamin DeLoose, ESCAPE THE DARK: a horror feature
  2. Tonx Konecny, Yes Plz: Great Coffee Should Be for Everyone“Kickstarter should be a leader in embracing a unionized workforce in tech.”
  3. Casey Donahue, I Am Root Beer 
  4. Eric Mersmann, My Jam 
  5. Nicholas O’Brien, The Last Survey, “I was a “Creator-in-Residence” at Kickstarter in the spring/summer of 2019. I sign in solidarity with Taylor, Clarissa, and the Kickstarter United efforts.”
  6. Elly Blue, Unf*ck Your Boundaries
  7. Kati Skelton, Pots N’ Tots
  8. David Cahn, “Umar” a children’s book for 2-4 year olds, “I mean come on kickstarter.”
  9. Keely Weiss, Riding in Subarus with Boys: A Killer Dark Comedy, “Let Kickstarter workers unionize!”
  10. Sara Edwards, Pakt Coffee Kit
  11. Molly Ostertag, Strong Female Protagonist: Books 1 and 2 
  12. Seth Boyer, The New Full-Length Studio Album from Seth Boyer, “Solidarity forever”
  13. Aaron Izzard, Pokemon Inspired Enamel Pin Set “Galar and Friends” (Canceled), “Dropped Kickstarter this morning to relaunch on Indiegogo as soon as I heard the news. A company like this won’t make a cent from any more of my projects.” 
  14. SamDakota, Color Me Gray
  15. rocket loam, memory/a film in 100 frames, “they’re gonna organize regardless, step out of the way”
  16. Pat Baer, Send 404ing It to PAX West 2017“I fully support union efforts”
  17. David Willis, Dumbing of Age: Eighth Book Collection (1oth successful project), “This is incredibly disappointing.”
  18. Brian Siano, Romeo and Juliet, “Kickstarter helped me and thousands of others. Its workers deserve respect and their rewards, too. I stand with labor.”
  19. Grandkids, Grandkids Record a Full-length Album
  20. Greg Stolze, In The Dark, “I’very been with KS almost from the start—over 40 projects, first TTRPG creator to use the service. It took a lot to move me from ‘strong supporter’ to ‘on the fence.’ If these labor issues can shift me, how much more will they impact pledgers with less of an attachment to the site?”
  21. Ewen Cluney, Golden Sky Stories
  22. Jacob Randolph, Fellowship 2nd Edition, “Unionizing is the right of all workers, and Kickstarter cannot be allowed to stand in their way.”
  23. Hayden Stern, The Trans Tarot
  24. Bruce Hahne, Anime Angels, “I support worker unionization at Kickstarter, which needs to stop firing union organizers and then lying about the reason for the firings” 
  25. Jay Tholen, Dropsy, Hypnospace Outlaw 
  26. Sam Roberts, Escape from Dino Island
  27. Liam Ginty, Disposable Heroes, “All power to the working class and solidarity with their struggle against the bosses!”
  28. Christopher Grey, The Happiest Apocalypse on Earth Roleplaying Game
  29. Scott Leaton, Velvet Generation
  30. Brandon Perlow, Watson and Holmes 
  31. Russell Nohelty, Ichabod Jones, “I support the union” (Nohelty has raised over $100,000 on Kickstarter)  
  32. Steve Stormoen, Proactive Insurance: The Pros (and four other projects)
  33. Stu Horvath, Unwinnable Weekly
  34. David Lucarelli, Tinseltown: Director’s Cut, “The employees of Kickstarter work hard and deserve the benefits that come with unionizing.”
  35. Brendan Wright, Shots Fired: Benefiting Gun Violence Prevention Charities
  36. Jason Pitre, After The War, “Workers deserve respect and safety, and a union can make that happen. As a public benefit corporation, Kickstarter senior management should seriously consider how their actions are affecting their double bottom line.”
  37. Josh Dahl, Rapid City, Skies Over Superior, “I really want to use your great service again. Please do the right thing by your employees.”
  38. Craig Taillefer, Wahoo Morris: A Rock & Roll Urban Fantasy Graphic Novel
  39. Jay Iles, Legacy: Life Among the Ruins 2nd Edition
  40. Shane W Smith, Undad trilogy, “I stand in solidarity with unionising employees.”
  41. Kevin Budnik, Handbook, “Unionize Kickstarter”
  42. Katherine Verhoeven, Feminasty Patches
  43. Amet, The Hunt II: Enamel Pin Series
  44. Gee Pike, Title Unrelated Vol 1
  45. Nicole Dornsife, Mexican Gray Wolf Pins and Shirts 
  46. Larry D Yudelson, Ben Yehuda Press 
  47. Aimee Fleck, RAW:, “I stand in solidarity with Kickstarter employees, who deserve to be respected, compensated, and have their rights as workers protected.”
  48. Guy Thomas, The Music of Erich Zann
  49. Stephanie Zuppo, Belchville, VT // Words& Pictures Community Print Shop
  50. Max Dlabick, Dice Hoarder Enamel Pins Series 2, “Unionization is a vital right for the equal treatment of workers and should be supported”
  51. CJ Joughin, City of Cards: Omnibus Volume 1, “Kickstarter has been one of the greatest boons to independent comic creators in the last decade, so much so that even some printers give discounts to successful projects because it is not only extremely common but also an amazing chance for independent creators to see their works thrive and that is celebrated. This is a community that at its core is about working together to offer people opportunities they would not have otherwise, and one that exists because the understanding that looking out for and supporting each other is the key to our success. This is how Kickstarter should view and treat the members of its own team, as the integral parts of their community that allow it to even exist let alone succeed as it has. As creators who rely on Kickstarter to help with our own futures, we do not want that to happen alongside the mistreatment of others. To put it simply, the right to unionize is a right guaranteed in the USA and these firings are unacceptable.”
  52. Pink M Pitcher, Various – Root & Branch, The Fantastic Voyage, “We stand in solidarity with all workers!”
  53. Patrick Brennan, Complicated Board Game the Card Game
  54. Massif Press, Lancer RPG, “Without Kickstarter, Lancer would still be a hobby project gathering dust in a (digital) filing cabinet. We owe our success to the platform, and were planning on running a second campaign in 2020 to continue growing the game that over 9,000 backers came together to raise more than $400,000.00 to help create. However, given the recent news of Kickstarter managements’ illegal and immoral union busting, we cannot in good conscience plan to use the platform until they respect the demands of the people whose labor makes the site work. The people who carry Kickstarter on their back — the workers—deserve the protections a strong union can win for them through collective bargaining; once they can have that honest shot at forming a union (and hopefully do!), we’ll happily return.”
  55. Kelsey Smith, Poke Fashion Trainers Enamel Pins, “People should not be fired for trying to unionize”
  56. cecil howe, The Forest Hymn & Picnic and Hex Kit 
  57. Joshua Tong, The Conduits
  58. Caias Ward, Retired: a Storygame about the Ordinary Life of a Retired Supervillain, “I’ve run 4 projects. An Injury to One is an Injury to All.”
  59. Amber Autumn Faebrooke, Scherzando!“Solidarity forever”
  60. Thomas Ridgewell, Crash Zoom (Series 2)
  61. Nicole, Ad Astra Comix, “Unions benefit everyone but the greedy.” 
  62. Jessica, Make Your Mark Suffragette Inspired Enamel Pin, “I was appalled to find out about the actions taken against some of the union organisers, Kickstarter is all about people coming together to support each other something which is epitomised by the formation of a union! Unions are there to make sure all workers are treated in a fair way, if Kickstarter has a problem with that then I have a problem with them!”
  63. Liz, Sweaty Palms 
  64. Pat Myers, Bear Company, “Kickstarter’s staff have been invaluable and personally reached out to help in my projects. Without them, I would not be able to publish my niche comics.”
  65. Aleksandra Korabelnikova, Backbone
  66. Carta Monir, Living The Crowdfunded Life—A Diskette Press Zine“Unionize Kickstarter!” 
  67. Ryan Estrada, Big Data, Broken Telephone, The Whole Story
  68. Tony Breed, Have Fun, Leave Me Out of It
  69. Kristen, The Empties“Unionize!” 
  70. Carlen May-Mann, The Rat
  71. Tanya X. Short, Boyfriend Dungeon and Moon Hunters 
  72. Caroline Symons, My Beautiful Boys, “I support Kickstarter’s workers in their efforts to unionize”
  73. Eli Kurtz, Derek Smith, Keely O’Sullivan, The Blackwood Errantry Codex, “When the union’s inspiration through the workers’ blood shall run/There can be no power greater anywhere beneath the sun!”
  74. Erin McKean, Wordnik
  75. Eric Simon, Rockalypse: the Fate Core RPG of Musical Conflict, “Kickstarter has made so many indie RPGs possible. We owe it to them to support the staff in whatever way we can.”
  76. Graeme Barber, Sojourner RPG, “Union Strong.”
  77. Jonathon Dalton, A Mad Tea-Party
  78. Kim Kelly, Black Flags Over Brooklyn
  79. Matt Baume, Queens of Adventure’s Legendary Journey
  80. James Morris, Queens of Adventure
  81. Bret Maskill-Watts, Pokeball Pride Pins!
  82. Parker Higgins, 1923: A Monthly Zine of Public Domain Treasures“Kickstarter has an opportunity to lead the industry here, and I hold out hope. There is power in a union!”
  83. Bryant Francis, Slingers
  84. Kieryn Darkwater, KieryGeek
  85. Evan Balster, imitone: Mind to Melody“Even sincere efforts to treat employees well are no replacement for negotiation. Parity, not charity.”
  86. Duncan Robson, Hours Played
  87. Josh Trujillo, Death Saves“Read the room”
  88. Johnathon Grach, Cut to the Chase, “I support the workers of Kickstarter and their pursuit of Unionization.”
  89. Sara McHenry, various projects totaling $3.5 million, “Solidarity!”
  90. jeffrey jacques, Questionable Content Vol. 6
  91. CE Murphy, No Dominion“I fully, actively, passionately support the employees of Kickstarter unionizing, and although I have run several successful campaigns and could stand to do a couple more, I will not be using Kickstarter for any new projects until this matter is resolved in the most positive and acceptable way for the workers.”
  92. Lis Boriss, Enamel Pin preorder: 4 Designs!, “I’ve kickstarted a couple smaller projects & preorders in the past. Had I known Kickstarter as a company was anti-union I would have handled it elsewhere or even independently. Unions engage in a thankless fight every day to get workers fairly compensated for their work and in safe work environments. It’s illegal to conduct the type of Union busting that Kickstarter is engaged in, and I stand with the workers – both current and former – in this matter. Until this is resolved in a constructive manner that allows the staff to freely unionize & negotiate for their rights & compensation, I will not be supporting Kickstarter in any way.”
  93. Michael Atkins, Meat N Nuts – Jerky Trail Mix, “Yes to union power! When starting a business we always sought to hire union labor- from Kickstarter to product delivery.”
  94. Nina Aurora, Eclipse Dice: Magical Girl Inspired Polydice ,“Workers should be allowed to unionize, until this is rectified I wont back or launch any new projects”
  95. Abi Stevens, Chronic Warrior Enamel Pins , “Awful behaviour. If this isn’t resolved fairly I’ll find an alternative for my next project.”
  96. HT Publishers, Screenplay
  97. Inkworks Productions, Unwritten: Adventures in the Ages of Myst and Beyond, “We were literally *just* discussing potential growth through Kickstarter. We’ll be examining other platforms now.”
  98. Mike Rapin, I Read Comic Books – Year 4
  99. Victoria Corva, Books & Bone: A Fantasy Novel“It is counter to everything I love about Kickstarter and everything it professes to support to punish its workers for unionizing and asking for fairness from their employers, as well as utterly unethical.”
  100. Lucian Kahn, Visigoths vs Mall Goths, “As a former union organizer, my open letter of support for the union is here: https://necromancy.itch.io/open-letter-in-support-of-unionizing-kickstarter-workers”
  101. Colin Horgan, Lucah: Born of a Dream
  102. Molly Crabapple, Shell Game, Week in Hell
  103. Maria Bustillos, Popula, “We at Popula love your platform and ask that you do the right thing.”
  104. Kurt Hartwig, Fringe Festival Performances – Heart of a Dog, “I support Kickstarter’s workers and their attempts to unionize.”
  105. Tom McLean, Story War“I haven’t run a Kickstarter campaign in many years and I’m pretty much out of that business. But if this had gone down a few years ago, I’d be seriously reconsidering my support of a union-busting company. Solidarity with the staff & organisers.”
  106. Colin Gadko, Pushing the (Chocolate) Envelope 
  107. Peter C. Hayward, Ninjitsu!
  108. Aly Kelly, Custom Dragon Eggs, “All employees deserve to be heard by their employers. Employers should never have the right to terminate employees just because the employees want to be heard and respected.”
  109. Lisa Vollrath, nine prior projects, “It’s really disappointing to learn that Kickstarter would stand in the way of letting their workers organize.”
  110. DOMINIQUE LEAR, Xeno
  111. Nathan Curtis, Verwald’s Treasures“I support the right of workers to unionize in all fields.”
  112. Cameron Hays, Choke the Word“I benefit from a unionized workplace myself, so I support this effort.”
  113. Lonnie Mann, Thoughts From Iceland, a Travelogue Comic
  114. Ben Goldberg, The Chris Knox Benefit Concert
  115. Thorin Tabor, Shadows Over Sol: Science Fiction Horror Roleplaying, “I stand in solidarity with workers.”
  116. Daisy Finch McGuire, Gastrophobia
  117. Quintin Smith, Monikers: Serious Nonsense with Shut Up & Sit Down, “If Kickstarter’s anti-union behaviour continues then we’ll have no choice but to abandon the platform.”
  118. Michael Beach Nichols, Flex is Kings (2 campaigns), Welcome to Leith, “The idea that kickstarter would engage in union busting is shocking and disgusting. I’m saddened that I’ve contributed money and helped spread the word about this organization.”
  119. Dianna Gunn, Moonshadow’s Guardian 
  120. Andrew-David Jahchan, Aikonia
  121. MADSOFT Games, ME And My Dinosaur
  122. Scott Stephan, Aegis Defenders“Kickstarter has made so many dreams possible over the years by supporting small creators; Why can’t they do the same for their own employees?”
  123. Kit Rockatansky, Gothic cowboy tarot, “It’s horrible what they’ve done. I don’t plan on using them for future projects until they fix this behavior. Workers have rights, and trying to punish them for exercising them doesn’t go unnoticed.”
  124. Christopher Hastings, DRACULAGATE, “I would like to express my solidarity with Kickstarter’s workers’ union and condemn the company’s firings of Taylor Moore and Clarissa Redwine.”
  125. Brendan Schlagel, Antilibraries
  126. Heather Flowers, EXTREME MEATPUNKS FOREVER: BOUND BY ASH, “The workers of Kickstarter are wonderful people and they deserve better.”
  127. Greg Lobanov, Chicory: A Colorful Tale, Wandersong
  128. Aaron Amendola, Earworm
  129. Erin Roseberry, Magical Art Therapy Enamel Pins Series 2, “The workers are who make Kickstarter an amazing platform for independent creators and I support their unionization efforts.”
  130. Craig Stern, Telepath Tactics, True Messiah, “I don’t support businesses that engage in union-busting. Make it right, Kickstarter.”
  131. michi / chrysanthemumskies, Eat the Bigots Kickstarters “solidarity + strength!!!”
  132. Anita Sarkeesian, Tropes vs Women in Video Games
  133. Andy Young, Keith & Heath
  134. Nate Dern, On The Cusp, Off The Cuff“Kickstarter has the power to help people achieve their creative dreams! Kickstarter helped me do so with a project years ago when I was first starting out in the creative field. Kickstarter, please do right by your employees and support the union effort!”
  135. Craig Hurd-McKenney, SOME STRANGE DISTURBANCES: The Lunchroom Under the Arch, “Please value your employees. Their work is incredibly important & you need them.”
  136. Brittney Bugnet, Cat Nap Enamel Pins
  137. Geoff Weber, The Scientists, “I support the Kickstarter workers who want to organize.”
  138.  Matthew Brian Cohen, Janice Magazine
  139. Marshall Gause, NumberShire
  140. Jan Bosman, Redesigning a WarCraft Social Network, “I made a KS campaign when the site was still new and you had to apply for permission to run a campaign. The people who worked at Kickstarter THEN were just as worthy of being treated well as they are now – and the fact that they’ve been treated poorly enough to get to the point of forming a union is proof enough that they deserve one. I support their cause and will not be starting a KS project so long as they are treated unethically.”
  141. Adam Sacks, Digitally Erase the Rat From the End of The Departed
  142. Caroline Hobbs, Downfall
  143. Chris Longhurst, Bleak Spirits“Union busting should not be tolerated.”
  144. Steve O’Gorman, Hero Hours Contract, “My game is LITERALLY about unionisation and I feel crappy for keeping the KS alive, but I’m scared to give up what I’ve raised so far as the funding will do so much for my game. Solidarity is the best I can offer, and I hope I’m not perceived as a hypocrite.”
  145. Cap Blackard, Omniverse, “Our plans to launch a major funding campaign for future seasons of our podcast The Call of Cthulhu Mystery Program won’t be happening via Kickstarter unless your employees are able to unionize.”
  146. Mary Hamilton, Heart, Strata, Spire
  147. James A D’Amato, Noisy Person Cards, The Dungeon Dome, A Woman With Hollow Eyes, A Woman With Hollow Eyes Season 2, “As a creator and superbacker I support a union for employees at Kickstarter and I am appalled by attacks against organizers.”
  148. Sam Tung, Escape From Dino Island, “Kickstarter is inherently democratic — let its employees band together to support what they need, too. United we bargain, divided we beg!”
  149. Brie Beau Sheldon, Turn: A Tabletop Roleplaying Game, “I support a union at Kickstarter wholeheartedly.”
  150. Megan Carnes, inter-view
  151. Aaron King, Patchwork World RPG zine set, “Shame on Kickstarter management”
  152. Daniel Sell, Troika! Numinous Edition, “You’re not the only fund raising platform in the world”
  153. Rachel Jackson, Manos – The Hands of Felt DVD (and 3 other projects)
  154. Eddy Vallante, The Privates (Short Film)
  155. DANIEL P HERRERO, The Lost Adventures: All-In-One 3D Printable Adventures, “I express full solidarity with these workers whose work has been praised within the community. As a former HR worker, I am struggling to believe that former employees with this kind of reputation within our community would be such terrible performers while being tied to a unionizing effort. I condemn this practice completely.”
  156. Abie Sidell, Some of Her Parts – A Short Film by Radical Rhinoceros, “Kickstarter’s entire purpose is to provide a platform for the collective empowerment of projects which wouldn’t or couldn’t succeed by ordinary capitalism. Betraying that here is to betray the fundamental function of the platform.”
  157. Melanie Ehrlich, Danse Macabre: A Short Film, “Having put extensive effort into producing my film in cooperation with my own industry’s labor union, I can’t in good faith keep our project on a platform that is actively dissuading (at best) the legal and rightful unionization of its workers. I will be looking into other platforms for our next round and future crowdfunding needs.”
  158. Mike Shirley-Donnelly, After the Lights Failed – New Full Length Album by Curious Quail, “The union busting efforts of Kickstarter management are absolutely reprehensible.”
  159. Christopher Lam, “I was planning a campaign very soon but I cannot in good conscience fund on Kickstarter with this horrendous, immature, and illegal use of power to stifle unionizing.”
  160. Olivia Raymond, The Best of Helios Quarterly Magazine (Volume One)
  161. Greg Emetaz, Bowes Academy, “Let your workers unionize!”
  162. Geneva Heyward, Skate and Date
  163. Asher Elbein, Ghost Days
  164. Matt Lubchansky, Please Listen to Me Vol. 1: Skeleton Party, “As a creator whose livelihood would not be possible without crowdfunding and a member of the comics community where I know the same is true for so many colleagues, I’m expressing solidarity with the Kickstarter workers and demanding that management recognize the Union, as well as reinstating the organizers that were fired.”
  165. Becky Chambers, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
  166. Aaron J. Shay, Apocalypse Songs“I stand with the Union. Recognize them and let the workers collectively bargain!”
  167. Carmelo G Chimera, Cellar Door, “I love Kickstarter. But a company this lucrative should be taking such good care of their employees they don’t need or want to unionize. If they do, there’s a problem.”
  168. Dan Schoenbrun, The Eyeslicer // collective:unconscious, “As a frequent partner of Kickstarter on major events, a former creator-in-residence, a former employee who left in good standing, multi-time project creator, prolific backer, and general supporter of the art and film community, I am appalled by Kickstarter management’s recent actions, which I am sure they are well aware are straight out of the anti-union playbook. If a boycott is called by Kickstarter United I will not hesitate to permanently cease all use, support of, and collaboration with the platform.”
  169. Jaym, Strange California, Lost Citadel, Genius Loci, War Stories, Geek Love, Upside Down
  170. Sara Kiener, The Shawl, “In addition to running my own modest campaign, I also consulted on many projects which collectively raised close to a million dollars. From day 1 of Kickstarter I’ve been drawn to the platform BECAUSE OF THE PEOPLE WHO WORK THERE (past and present). Liz Holm, Dan Schoenbrun, David Ninh, Liz Cooke, Elise McCave, CE Martin (just to name a few) are some of your amazing employees WHO MAKE KICKSTARTER GREAT. You should know that you are nothing without your great staff. And you should honor and respect their right to collectively bargain. For crying out loud, what would KICKSTARTER be without collective participation, action, ideation and mobilization. Nothing.”
  171. Neil Gaiman, An Evening with Neil Gaiman & Amanda Palmer
  172. Graham Carter, When I Was a Young Girl, I Had Me a Cowboy
  173. Lev Kalman, Two Plains & a Fancy
  174. Whitney Horn, L for Leisure
  175. Danny Djeljosevic, BattleArc 2088
  176. Shing Yin Khor, Strange Friends, “I support Kickstarter’s organizing workforce wholeheartedly.”
  177. Joamette Gil, Heartwood: Non-binary Tales of Sylvan Fantasy
  178. Emily Ann Hoffman, Blackheads
  179. Sarah Shay, You Have Queer Street Cred: A new nerd-folk album!, “I’m small potatoes in the crowdfunding world, but I still wanted to show my support. Thank you for doing this!”
  180. Robert BojorquezGothingham Parts 2 & 3
  181. Christopher Ryan, Citadel Magazine“You have the support of the staff and editor of the Citadel Magazine.”
  182. Devon Manney, Cradle
  183. Jace Proctor, War of Omens
  184. Zombie Orpheus Entertainment, 13 successful campaigns, “We stand with Kickstarter’s workers and fully support their efforts to unionize.”
  185. Mila Matveeva, Radical Film Fair/The Eyeslicer, “If workers want a union, that is their right–I stand solidly with Kickstarter United!!”
  186. Matt Bors, The Nib magazine
  187. Doug P Geisler, Beat the Boss
  188. Parker Dylan Hicks, Vengeful Ghost: The First Year, “They have worked to give us creative freedom– they deserve respect and self-determination.”
  189. Will Canine, Opentrons: Open-Source Rapid Prototyping for Biotech
  190. Austin Stahl, Road Grays: the magazine for curious baseball fans
  191. Will Fulton, MOTHERBOARD: A Post-Apocalyptic Epic
  192. Eight Dollar Mountain, Tied to the Tracks
  193. C. Spike Trotman, Iron Circus Comics, “Iron Circus Comics couldn’t exist without the work the founders and employees of Kickstarter have done, and continue to do. They’ve become an indispensable part of the comics ecosystem, and their value has to be recognized with the basic rights and protections a union can provide. I stand in solidarity with KS’ union organizers, and I condemn the union-busting actions of KS’ current management.”
  194. David Cole, Hack Your Notebook“I know Clarissa from my time at Manylabs in San Francisco where she kept a desk during her early tenure with KS as the West Coast rep working on sourcing science projects and related connections. I’m just starting to absorb the details that are coming out in the Slate articles and want to put my name towards this effort at organization and support for KS workers. Kickstarter was, and is, unique for the activation and opportunity it mobilizes. Its focus on the vision of creators, the fact that it has become a defacto reference for high-touch, effective front-end outreach and network-building continues to inspire. The PBA designation followed suit — and now it appears the rubber meets the road in moments of collective action, ideally between workers and mgmt. So much about our economic engines need to be reconsidered to support shared values and questions of scarcity. It feels appropriate that the space Kickstarter staked out at the start – as a visionary, open platform that (to borrow of Tim O’Reilly’s phrase) creates more value than it captures is evolving as conditions for small, vital entrepreneurship streamline and standards for creative contributions and transactions begin to transform around practical, growth-related concerns about organizational culture and compensation. I would like to understand specifics about the constraints mgmt. was seeing coming down from Kickstarter United and the asks and conditions union members were seeking. This feels like a huge opportunity to define essential aspects of the Future of Work. If any organization were to step into this space transparently, collaboratively, I would think it would be KS.”
  195. Melanie Gillman, As the Crow Flies“I stand by Kickstarter employees’ efforts to unionize, and am deeply disturbed that a public benefit corporation would illegally fire employees for attempting to unionize.”
  196. Cat Parra, Dates! An Anthology of Queer Historical Fiction , “Kickstarter has been a huge part of how I and my business partner have been able to get our work into the world and an incredible way for us to support other creators. Kickstarter has always seemed to be a force of good for the underdog, which is why it’s huge disappointment to me to hear of the staff being mistreated and wrongfully terminated. Kickstarter management must reinstate these individuals and allow collective bargaining to live up to the message they put out into the world.”
  197. Shane W Smith, Undad Trilogy 
  198. Kristen Kiomall-Evans, Magical Girl Standee
  199. Liam Campbell, Adult Juice Box
  200. Dave Scheidt, Spooky Sleepover“Kickstarter is important because it’s about people coming together to make something great that maybe couldn’t exist without the support of others. Unions are the same. We need each other. Solidarity to all those affected.
  201. Charlie Stickney, White Ash“Kickstarter has been wonderful to me. I’ve raised over 100K to make comic books. I’m also a proud union member of the Writers Guild of America. And I know how important the ability to collectively bargain is. Do the right thing.”
  202. Iris Jay, Crossed Wires Vol. 1
  203. Nero O’Reilly, Bara Emergency; The Collared Pin Set
  204. Stephanie Zvan, Secular Women Work
  205. Erin Ptah, Leif & Thorn Volume 2: Sparklier, magic-er, funnier, gayer, “Let the people unionize!”
  206. Kel McDonald, Can I Pet Your Werewolf, “I stand with Unions”
  207. Jon Parrish, Wizards! Werewolves! Vampires! GOAT MEN! It’s a CLUSTERF@#K
  208. Lucy Bellwood, 100 Demon Dialogues“It is galling to think that unionization efforts are being met with this kind of hostility at a company that prides itself on ethical growth, respect for creators, and community values. As a three-time project creator (and backer of many projects) I’m deeply disturbed by the recent firings at Kickstarter and am standing in solidarity with the employees asking to unionize. My future involvement with the platform will be determined by their treatment.”
  209. Perry Renarldo Singletary Jr, 32 Kick-Up Vol 1
  210. Ben Haith-Bedford, Stormhaven Techs: Tapes from the Prep-Room
  211. Adam E. DeCamp, Deniable Assets, “My game is about grasping, dystopian corporations who grind people beneath their heels. Don’t make my game about you.”
  212. Geoffrey Golden, Wet Hot American Summer: Fantasy Camp RPG
  213. Amanda Meadows, The Devastator“I support the Kickstarter employees’ right to organize!”
  214. Sha Hwang, Gifpop“I am in full support of Kickstarter staff’s desires to unionize, and am grateful for the opportunity to voice my support as someone who has backed tons of projects, and who has been deeply supported by the broader Kickstarter user base in bringing my/Rachel’s project to life.”
  215. Cai Tse, CNY Lion Dance Enamel Pin Set
  216. John R Hopkins, Interstitial: Our Hearts Intertwined
  217. Pixel Occult, The Wayward Dark Tarot
  218. Shirley Jackson, Oracles of the Wild – Pin Set & Art Book
  219. Daniel Laabs, Jules of Light and Dark“Kickstarter had a huge impact on my career, the KS team member who assisted us along the way created a game plan for us, and generally went above and beyond give us a real chance at what we felt was an impossible goal. To put it simply, it was an employee’s passion and hard work that made the difference. To create any road blocks for these outstanding human beings to unionize is greed plan and simple.”
  220. Meredith McClaren, Book of Ghosts: Jerome Grand Hotel, “I support the union”
  221. Eben Burgoon, B-Squad, “B-Squad supports unions.”
  222. Stephanie Bulante, Lucky Pocket Press – Artist Collective and Risograph Press!
  223. Melissa Sayen, This Makes Me Sad: A Short Comic Anthology
  224. Bart Leib & Kay Holt, Resist Fascism (7th successful project), “We’ve run seven successful campaigns and were set to launch our eighth. But we won’t use Kickstarter again while they’re blocking their workers from unionizing.”
  225. Unwoman, Uncovered Volumes 4-5“This was my fifteenth (15!!!) successful kickstarter. I love kickstarter but am unwilling to cross a picket line in any way.”
  226. Vanessa, Radio Silence Volume 1
  227. Fiona M, ‘I READ…’ Bookish Hard Enamel Pins
  228. Jason Scott, Multiple Kickstarters, “Come on, guys.”
  229. Melanie Ujimori, Ki-Bun – Seasonal Kimono Bunny Enamel Pins“I recently wrapped up my third Kickstarter, and hope to continue to push through more campaigns through a unionized Kickstarter!”
  230. Melissa Coleman, Hackaball, “We loved working with Kickstarter on this project. Such a positive experience. Don’t let us down now.”
  231. Big Tim Stiles, Gorilla my Dreams, “Come on guys, my comic book dreams would not be possible without Kickstarter. I’ve published five comics through you guys. Couldn’t have done it without Kickstarter workers. Please give them the same fair go you’ve given so many creators that use your platform. Thanks.”
  232. Parhelia Games, Altais: Age of Ruin
  233. Xavid Pretzer, O-umajirushi: 17th Century Samurai Heraldry, “Solidarity!”
  234. Chris Osborn, True Blue, “I proudly stand in solidarity with the workers of Kickstarter and am shocked and infuriated by management’s attempts at unionbusting. They will not defeat Kickstarter United.”
  235. Mike Rugnetta, Drip launch artist and former Kickstarter Creator in Residence
  236. Dean Peterson, What Children Do
  237. Galen Curry, “This Side of the Glass – New album from The Currys
  238. Mike, Countless Thousands, “Solidarity forever”
  239. Josh Fox, JOIN JOSH FOX’S GRASSROOTS FILM TOUR, THE TRUTH HAS CHANGED!, “We stand in solidarity with workers trying to unionize!!!! We’ve had many successful partnerships with KS in the past, and we hope that KS can stand with workers NOW!”