May Day Severance Agreement – Kickstarter United

Summary

Statement from Kickstarter United dated May 2020 on its severance agreement, described as its first bargaining victory two months after forming. It states that on Monday, April 20th, 2020 Kickstarter management announced planned company-wide layoffs of ~40% of its workforce. It lists terms won for the 86-member bargaining unit, including four months of severance pay for all laid-off employees, continuing healthcare coverage of four months or six months depending on salary, recall rights for a full year, and a release from the non-compete with a modification of the non-solicitation clauses. It states that the package was unanimously ratified by KSRU.

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Full text

Statement from Kickstarter United

May 2020 - Our first bargaining victory, just two months after forming.

On Monday, April 20th, 2020 Kickstarter management announced that they were planning company-wide layoffs of ~40% of our workforce. The bargaining
 unit was faced with the prospect of involuntary layoffs with two to three weeks
 of severance per year of employment in the midst of a global pandemic.

Kickstarter United, a mere two months old, swiftly came together to work
 towards an agreement that protected our unit. After two weeks of
 bargaining, we negotiated a severance package that we are incredibly proud
 of, which has been unanimously ratified by KSRU.

The package prioritizes extended severance payments and health insurance
 coverage, and we were inspired to see dozens of our highest-paid
 colleagues volunteer to take layoffs in order to save jobs and increase
 payouts for lower-paid bargaining unit members. We also negotiated
 additional terms that are previously unheard-of in tech severance
 agreements, fulfilling another of our longstanding goals: moving our industry forward and demonstrating the necessity of
 organizing in tech

What We Won

The terms we won for our 86-member bargaining unit:

- Four months of severance pay for all laid-off employees, both
 voluntary and involuntary.
- Continuing healthcare coverage increased by salary: four months for
 our higher-paid colleagues, and six months for those who make less
 than the bargaining unit's median salary.
- Recall rights for a full year, so that if an eliminated position
 becomes open again in the future, qualified laid-off workers will have
 priority consideration in filling it.
- A release from the non-compete and a modification of the
 non-solicitation clauses included in our original hiring agreements -
 an allowance unprecedented in tech that will enable our members to
 pursue new avenues of employment unfettered.

We are devastated to lose so many of our colleagues, who take with them
 their institutional knowledge, unceasing passion, and relentless
 dedication to the progressive ideals of our company. But as we move
 forward, Kickstarter United will still be here. We will continue to uphold
 Kickstarter's mission to foster creative work, and we look forward to
 further demonstrating worker solidarity as we negotiate our first
 collective bargaining agreement.

This experience has shown us how crucial it is for tech workers to unite,
 to leverage our collective strength, and to focus on lifting each other up
 and protecting one another. Kickstarter United is committed to standing
 alongside workers everywhere, helping to bring our collective visions for
 a fairer, more just world to life.

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