Brooklyn Borough President, Kickstarter United, elected officials and union leaders gathered on Brooklyn Borough Hall steps to protest corporate retaliation
***PHOTOS AND VIDEOS AVAILABLE HERE***
Brooklyn, NY – Today, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso joined members of Kickstarter United NYC-OPEIU Local 153 on the steps of Brooklyn Borough Hall to demand the immediate reinstatement of union leaders fired by Kickstarter in what the union characterizes as illegal retaliation.
The terminations came just months after Kickstarter United secured a landmark contract following a 42-day strike in November 2025. The contract, ratified by an overwhelming majority of members, included a codified four-day workweek, strong protections against the use of artificial intelligence to displace workers, and an escalating salary floor tied to cost of living. It is widely considered to be one of the strongest labor agreements in the tech industry. On February 11, 2026, Kickstarter management announced the termination of four union members and the reassignment of several others out of the bargaining unit, offering no business-need justification for the decisions.
“When workers organize, bargain, and win, that victory is supposed to mean something. By firing these employees, Kickstarter is not only violating a contract it agreed to, but directly attacking workers’ right to organize,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. “Every worker who has ever considered collective action is watching what happens here, and we have to show them that Brooklyn backs unions. This borough won’t stand by and let corporations bend the law in retaliation—this victory already belongs to the workers. Now it’s time for Kickstarter to uphold their end of the bargain.”
Today’s rally drew elected officials, union leaders, and community allies who joined Kickstarter United members in calling on the company to reinstate all terminated employees and immediately cease retaliatory actions.
Kickstarter United became the first major tech company union in the United States when its employees voted to organize on February 18, 2020. The union is affiliated with OPEIU Local 153, which represents more than 103,000 workers across technology, healthcare, higher education, and other sectors.
“The retaliation Kickstarter has taken against these employees is unconscionable,” said Zak Thompson, a shop steward. “These are people who fought tooth and nail for a good contract for our union, and we’re not going down without a fight here either. We’re pursuing every avenue available to us to get them reinstated.”
Among those terminated was Jason Featheringham, who alleged that Kickstarter transferred his work maintaining the company’s design system to outside contractors using AI—a direct violation, the union argues, of the AI and contractor protections negotiated in the new contract.
“We bargained for some of the strongest AI and contractor protections in the tech industry, specifically to prevent management from hollowing out our unit, and within three months of ratifying that contract, Kickstarter did exactly that,” Featheringham said. “They created a brand new team to own the design system I built and maintained, handed my work over to outside contractors using AI, and called it a business decision. The NLRB will decide what to call it.”
The union has filed Unfair Labor Practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board and multiple grievances related to the company’s use of non-union contractors and AI to undermine bargaining unit work.
“Kickstarter United workers have been on the frontlines – not only for their own rights, but to advance the cause of working people everywhere. But we know that when the powerful feel threatened, they retaliate –in this case, targeting the union leaders who helped drive this transformational change,” said Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. “Just as those leaders stood united with us to fight for progress, we stand united as the backers of the people who helped launch this campaign. We will not be scared into silence, compliance, or retreat from victories won.”
“Kickstarter United fought for and won one of the most pro-worker contracts in the tech industry. When the company fired employees and reassigned several bargaining unit members recently, it attacked the fundamental right to organize and all of their employees’ hard-won protections,” said Council Member Lincoln Restler. “Kickstarter needs to reinstate those it terminated and immediately end its retaliatory actions.”
“Kickstarter workers fought for 42 days and won: a 4-day workweek, cost-of-living protections, and real guardrails against AI replacing the people who power this industry. That is what worker power looks like,” said Assemblymember Phara Souffrant Forrest. “Instead of honoring that victory, Kickstarter’s management is firing union leaders in retaliation. That is illegal, it is immoral, and we will not stand for it. I am proud to stand with Kickstarter workers in OPEIU Local 153 because Brooklyn shows up for its workers every single time.”
“Kickstarter workers did exactly what working people should do: they organized, they stood together, and they bargained a union contract in good faith,” said Brendan Griffith, President, NYC Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO. “And now, after winning one of the most significant labor agreements in the tech industry, including groundbreaking protections against the misuse of AI to displace workers, they’re facing retaliation for exercising those rights. That should concern every working person in this city. The message to Kickstarter is simple. Workers should never face retaliation for exercising their right to organize. The Labor Movement in NYC stands with them and OPEIU Local 153.”
