Bandcamp employees officially voted to unionize, 31-7, in favor of forming Bandcamp United, a union represented by the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) in affiliation with the Tech Workers Union Local 1010.
The majority of eligible Bandcamp employees have voted 31-7 in favor of unionizing to create Bandcamp United, a union represented by the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU). The results now await certification by 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 rely on us,” reads a joint statement from Bandcamp co-founder Ethan Diamond and Bandcamp United. “We look forward to negotiating with an open mind and working in good faith to promote the best interests of all of our staff and the artist and label community we serve.”
“While we have won this election by 24 votes — leadership contested 16 ballots. These ballots were not counted,” says Bandcamp United in a tweet, indicating that contractors working for Bandcamp voted to unionize but were not eligible for inclusion. “To be clear, we will not leave our colleagues behind (and) plan to fight for the inclusion of everyone who is eligible in our union.”
“Forming our union is critical to our ability to do our best work and make good on the promise and mission of Bandcamp to provide fair economic conditions, direct support, and transparency for ourselves and all of our users,” wrote Bandcamp staffers in March when first announcing plans to unionize.
Epic Games, Bandcamp’s parent company as of 2022, has worked previously to counter unionization efforts within its own company, leading Bandcamp workers to call on the company to enable a “timely and fair election” when seeking to unionize. Bandcamp affiliated its unionization efforts early on with OPEIU’s Tech Workers Union Local 1010.