6 ms·

Every member of Bandcamp United Union bargaining team was laid off

109 points by RyeCombinator 3y ago

BrandoElFollito 3y ago
Isn't it illegal in the US? In France a company that does this is promptly brought to court, loses, the union is created in bright daylight with fanfare and gets more people because of the publicity. Left wing parties yell about apocalypse, right wing ones stay put this time, and the story never repeats.
- jeo123 3y ago
  It is. Basically EPIC is testing the water whether laying off via asset sale will be exempt. The layoff team need to have grit to fight thru supreme court to inflict huge damage to EPIC.
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
ChrisArchitect 3y ago
(edit: not a dupe) Related/lots of earlier discussion: About half of Bandcamp employees have been laid off https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37905638 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37905638
- sabellito 3y ago
  How is this a dupe if the link and article are different, and the focus of the text itself is also different?
- digging 3y ago
  Not a dupe. This specific datum wasn't reported in the previous article.
- ChrisArchitect 3y ago
  Fine not dupe, plenty of related discussion. Can add to the thread over there about the specific Union aspect
rekabis 3y ago
Is it time to pull out the nuclear option? Firing due to union affiliation is illegal. Firing everyone on a bargaining team is obviously illegal. Time to bankrupt the company, such that most anyone with decision-making ability walks away _much poorer_ than they would have otherwise. Lessons need to be taught to the Parasite Class.
- PaulDavisThe1st 3y ago
  Most of the revenue that flows through Bandcamp goes to various of the (roughly) 300k artists with a page there. Who do you think you're going to bankrupt, and how?
  - toomuchtodo 3y ago
    Companies die through dynamism all the time in a healthy economy. Why would one dying because of its poor relationship with workers be any worse? The org dies, the workers move on and attempt to unionize elsewhere. The time to protect Bandcamp was before they sold and became beholden to a new owner. There are 9 million open jobs in the US currently, as a data point (latest jobs and JOLTS report).
    - PaulDavisThe1st 3y ago
      The story at Bandcamp involves: 1. the employees (and ex-employees) of the company 2. the artists who put their work on the platform There is currently no seriously viable alternative for the #2 group that offers anything remotely equivalent.
      - toomuchtodo 3y ago
        It’s unfortunate. An opportunity for a new org if Bandcamp dies. Looks like a bunch of folks are available for such an enterprise.
        PaulDavisThe1st 3y ago
travoc 3y ago
That means an entire team of highly-productive union members is available for hire at this very moment. Some opportunistic tech company is going to swoop on this deal.
- alephnerd 3y ago
  Do we wanna? It's not like anyone's itching to overhire right now.
- mrguyorama 3y ago
  Why would tech, an industry famous for utterly refusing to work for labor protections while they still have power, ever hire people who are proven labor organizers?
  - klyrs 3y ago
    Poe's law strikes again

109 points by RyeCombinator 3y ago

Isn't it illegal in the US? In France a company that does this is promptly brought to court, loses, the union is created in bright daylight with fanfare and gets more people because of the publicity. Left wing parties yell about apocalypse, right wing ones stay put this time, and the story never repeats.

jeo123 3y ago
It is. Basically EPIC is testing the water whether laying off via asset sale will be exempt. The layoff team need to have grit to fight thru supreme court to inflict huge damage to EPIC.

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

ChrisArchitect 3y ago

(edit: not a dupe) Related/lots of earlier discussion: About half of Bandcamp employees have been laid off https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37905638 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37905638

sabellito 3y ago
How is this a dupe if the link and article are different, and the focus of the text itself is also different?
digging 3y ago
Not a dupe. This specific datum wasn't reported in the previous article.
ChrisArchitect 3y ago
Fine not dupe, plenty of related discussion. Can add to the thread over there about the specific Union aspect

rekabis 3y ago

Is it time to pull out the nuclear option? Firing due to union affiliation is illegal. Firing everyone on a bargaining team is obviously illegal. Time to bankrupt the company, such that most anyone with decision-making ability walks away _much poorer_ than they would have otherwise. Lessons need to be taught to the Parasite Class.

PaulDavisThe1st 3y ago
Most of the revenue that flows through Bandcamp goes to various of the (roughly) 300k artists with a page there. Who do you think you're going to bankrupt, and how?
- toomuchtodo 3y ago
  Companies die through dynamism all the time in a healthy economy. Why would one dying because of its poor relationship with workers be any worse? The org dies, the workers move on and attempt to unionize elsewhere. The time to protect Bandcamp was before they sold and became beholden to a new owner. There are 9 million open jobs in the US currently, as a data point (latest jobs and JOLTS report).
  - PaulDavisThe1st 3y ago
    The story at Bandcamp involves: 1. the employees (and ex-employees) of the company 2. the artists who put their work on the platform There is currently no seriously viable alternative for the #2 group that offers anything remotely equivalent.
    - toomuchtodo 3y ago
      It’s unfortunate. An opportunity for a new org if Bandcamp dies. Looks like a bunch of folks are available for such an enterprise.
      - PaulDavisThe1st 3y ago

travoc 3y ago

That means an entire team of highly-productive union members is available for hire at this very moment. Some opportunistic tech company is going to swoop on this deal.

alephnerd 3y ago
Do we wanna? It's not like anyone's itching to overhire right now.
mrguyorama 3y ago
Why would tech, an industry famous for utterly refusing to work for labor protections while they still have power, ever hire people who are proven labor organizers?
- klyrs 3y ago
  Poe's law strikes again