HN user
Yes it's accurate, though the "Always Punch Nazis" controversy was just the tip of the iceberg. Employees were being treated like enemies by some in upper management.
Edit: I've been rate limited by HN mods (thanks!), so not replying on this account anymore. All the best!
Sometimes it's not all about money. People in the bay area may not understand that most people working at Kickstarter truly believe in the company's mission. The money is not great and we've been willing to accept that to feel like we're making a positive change in the world. Unfortunately upper management has used this (as well as Kickstarter's reputation) as a bargaining chip to treat employees poorly.
Source: I work at Kickstarter
For those who are curious this union drive was really started by extreme incompetence from upper management. The former CEO hired ineffective status-seekers (including the current CEO) into many positions of power which created a super toxic environment. Accountability for internal problems has been extremely low. The "Always Punch Nazis" controversy was just the straw that broke the camel's back.
People in the bay area may not understand that most people working at Kickstarter truly believe in the company's mission. The money is not great and we've been willing to accept that to feel like we're making a positive change in the world. Unfortunately upper management has used this (as well as Kickstarter's reputation) as a bargaining chip to treat employees poorly.
Source: I work at Kickstarter
Treat employees like real people you care about and avoid turning the C-level suite into a force of secrecy, discrimination, and exclusion.
This was the main driver for unionization. Outrageous incompetence from upper management.
Source: I work at Kickstarter
In tech, we can generally assume reasonable working conditions and pay, so Kickstarter unionizing screams “toxic management” for me, personally.
I can confirm that "toxic management" is the only way to describe the situation when this union drive began.
Source: I work at Kickstarter