Bandcamp responds to “union busting” claims
American audio distribution platform, Bandcamp, has responded to the claim it has been “union busting”. This comes only a matter of weeks after staff members announced they are planning to unionise as Bandcamp United.
In March, a group of Bandcamp employees revealed that they are unionising in a push for fairer wages and greater transparency from those at the top of the company. However, claims of “union busting” from Bandcamp – owned by Epic Games – emerged soon after, with those at Bandcamp United urging followers to “email Bandcamp’s leadership and call for no more union busting”.
“We encourage you to keep it positive and remind [Bandcamp CEO] Ethan [Diamond] that our union will be good for Bandcamp,” they continued. The group posted the message as the National Labour Relations Board (NLRB) conducted a hearing to decide whether the union had a future.
Since then, Diamond has responded to the allegations from Bandcamp United, maintaining that the company is “following the NLRB’s process and timeline. Bandcamp will respect the election outcome and if a union forms, we will negotiate in good faith”.
“It is common for companies to employ law firms to represent them in NLRB proceedings,” he continued. “Both Bandcamp and the union have employed outside counsel. Not all Bandcamp employees want to be part of a union, so we believe an election matters.”
Bandcamp has also been criticised for allegedly pushing independent label Topshelf Records to stop publicly supporting Bandcamp United. In a statement shared on Twitter, Topshelf said: “We fully support Bandcampu United and want to see the platform that espouses to champion independent music do so equally for their staff.”
Adding: “That community built Bandcamp more than any dev or marketing team and it can and will move on to something else that respects and serves it better. we’re all watching this Bandcamp EpicGames Foley and Lardner. don’t contact us again about union busting. Allow this vote.”
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