Notices by Bandcamp United (bandcampunited@union.place)

Thank you to Luke and Jacobin for this chance to chat through the past year. A union begins with open conversations with your co-workers and there's no better time to start than now. Solidarity forever ✊

Having a union in this moment allowed us to bring Epic Games to the table and negotiate over the terms of severance. We successfully challenged the status quo and demanded a more just and fair agreement for our laid-off comrades. We are hopeful that it will allow those workers more security in these frustrating times.

We wanted to share additional layoff demographic information. These numbers include the whole staff at Bandcamp (including non-union eligible workers), but it is important context as we return to effects bargaining with Epic Games on 11/9.

We wanted to share some demographics around these layoffs so our supporters are able to follow along. These numbers include the whole staff at Bandcamp (including non-union eligible workers), but are important to keep in mind as we continue to negotiate severance with Epic Games.

Today, Epic Games’ sale of Bandcamp to Songtradr closed and at least half of Bandcamp’s staff was laid off. This is heartbreaking. We love our jobs, the platform we’ve built, and the Bandcamp community. We’re glad we have our union — coworkers who have each other’s backs. We’ll be moving together to decide our next steps. On Wednesday we return to the bargaining table with Epic Games, and we’ll keep you updated. Love and solidarity to the whole Bandcamp community. Thank you for your support.

We are so grateful for your support as we demand recognition for our union from Songtradr.

Here are some messages from our supporters.

"The value of Bandcamp is not just in the music it sells, but *how* it sells that music. The staff are absolutely crucial and have chosen to be represented by a union. If Songtradr wants Bandcamp to continue, it needs to recognize the union and treat its workers fairly, including extending offers of continued employment to all. If it doesn't treat its staff fairly, how can we trust that it's treating musicians fairly?"

We are calling on Songtradr to meet our demands so that we can continue to do our work and preserve Bandcamp’s mission:

* Employment offers for ALL workers
* Voluntary severance offers
* Immediate union recognition & continuation of bargaining

👉 https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/songtradr-recognize-bandcamp-united

Everyone in the bargaining unit is appreciating the love and concern we're seeing in the Fediverse today.

We're back to bargaining next week, and as we have news to share, look for it here.

❤️

We are happy to announce that we’ve won our union, 31 to 7! We’re excited to work with leadership to build a better Bandcamp!

While we have won this election by 24 votes — leadership contested 16 ballots. These ballots were not counted.

To be clear, we will not leave our colleagues behind & plan to fight for the inclusion of everyone who is eligible in our union. Stay tuned for how you can support us in this. Thank you again for your support!

It’s Friday, time to kick back and enjoy the weekend with some new tunes! That’s right, it’s another Bandcamp United Friday! Here are some personalized picks from our members!

Happy #BandcampFriday!

Musicians are workers, and we support them.

Tag us in with what you're buying today so we can re-toot and share it!

@mxv @m2m @ardgedee @hilljam

Hi, we are not asking for a boycott at this time.

Musicians are workers! They deserve everyone's support.

Please spend freely and often this #BandcampFriday

@mrcompletely

Hi!

Bandcamp United stands in solidarity with workers everywhere, and that means musicians, too.

On Bandcamp Fridays, Bandcamp doesn’t take a cut out of artist sales. We’re not calling for a boycott of Bandcamp Friday. There is currently no picket line to cross.

Thank you for your support of artists and our union!

Since our initial announcement, Bandcamp leadership has hired Foley & Lardner LLP, who have begun engaging in union busting by arbitrarily delaying our union election and arguing for the exclusion of 8 workers from our bargaining unit. We know that delays to this process only provide space for additional union busting in order to delay or disrupt having to listen to our collective voice at the bargaining table.

We are incredibly proud to work at Bandcamp because of its artists first mission. Our union’s aim is to protect this mission and our colleagues who use their voice to hold Bandcamp accountable.

Join us in calling for a fair and timely election so that we can have a seat at the table and keep Bandcamp on track: https://bit.ly/bcu-petition

If you would like to help, please spread this news far and wide, and visit https://bandcampunited.org for more suggestions and information, including our full mission statement. ? :solidarity: