UNITED PAIZO WORKERS

[PossibleCabbage]

I support unionization in basically every industry. The TTRPG industry has needed something like this for a long time.

[ograx]

In order for a union to work and a company to be able to successfully unionize and raise wages the company would need to be profitable and not just barely scraping by.

I don't know if Paizo can afford the wages people are wanting.

I think profit margins are shrinking and Paizo is mostly just paying the wages with very little top end profit as of now.

Could I be wrong? Yes.

[Opsylum]

Email sent! Do the right thing Paizo! I've done my best as a consumer to support the people that make your brand a masterpiece. Please do your part for them. You've got some pretty exceptional people here in your family, and their good health and happiness is what will make Pathfinder the very best TTRPG there is. Be the best management for them.

[John R.]

ograx wrote:

In order for a union to work and a company to be able to successfully unionize and raise wages the company would need to be profitable and not just barely scraping by.

I don't know if Paizo can afford the wages people are wanting.

I think profit margins are shrinking and Paizo is mostly just paying the wages with very little top end profit as of now.

Could I be wrong? Yes.

"Demands included Paizo fill an HR position that was allowed to sit vacant and leave Paizo without HR for months; that non-warehouse staff be permitted to continue working from home during the pandemic, and that all non-warehouse staff are afforded the option to work remotely from outside Washington if they choose; that Paizo be fully transparent about all salary information; and that Paizo bring a full-time diversity consultant onto staff."

There doesn't seem to be anything directly relating to increased wages though wage transparency favors workers in wage negotiation.

[thejeff]

ograx wrote:

In order for a union to work and a company to be able to successfully unionize and raise wages the company would need to be profitable and not just barely scraping by.

I don't know if Paizo can afford the wages people are wanting.

I think profit margins are shrinking and Paizo is mostly just paying the wages with very little top end profit as of now.

Could I be wrong? Yes.

I don't think anyone outside the company (outside management?) knows what their profit margins look like.

That said, the employees likely have a much better feel for the company than we do and aren't likely to want to destroy it. Especially the creative types like their work and want to be able to keep doing it. That's why talented, exceptional people stay at a company with low pay and management issues.

It's also an underappreciated fact that unhappy employees are expensive, Happy employees work better, stay longer, need less micromanagement, etc. This can sometimes save the company more money than the increase in wages costs. It's not a simple equation where a wage increase is just a cost with no benefits.

How much has this scandal cost them, not just in lost sales but in time spent reacting to it, rather than working on profitable business?

[Anorak]

OK, email sent, tweet uh tweeted and comments have been made!

Anyway we can get Sara and Diego back while we're at it?

[Heine Stick]

I 100% support the efforts by Paizo staff to unionize.

[Tonya Woldridge]

Removed one personal attack and returning you to the ongoing discussion.

[Freehold DM]

Wow.

[TwilightKnight]

Between here and a few other places where this is being discussed it is quite clear there are people who don't really understand how a union works or how one is started as overseen by the National Labor Relations Board and to a lesser extent the Department of Labor

[Azih]

Myself and all my aliases support UPW. Honestly this is a win for upper management if they voluntarily recognize the union. The month of bad press will turn into years of positive feelings as pioneers of worker rights in ttrpgs.

I truly believe they are listening to fans and workers as they have said and so... Here we are speaking loud and clear!

[Jester David]

Well... I guess that answers the question of how the majority of Paizo's staff felt about Alvarez's response and their confidence in management to respond to their concerns.

[Steve Geddes]

This union has been on the cards for a long time. Probably accelerated by recent events, but it wasn’t a result of them.

[Leg o' Lamb]

Which side are you on?

[Hilary Moon Murphy]

I just emailed my support for your initiative. Best of luck, friends!

Hmm

[thejeff]

TwilightKnight wrote:

Between here and a few other places where this is being discussed it is quite clear there are people who don't really understand how a union works or how one is started as overseen by the National Labor Relations Board and to a lesser extent the Department of Labor

Like this for example?

Quote:

Your Right to Form a Union: If a majority of workers wants to form a union, they can select a union in one of two ways: If at least 30% of workers sign cards or a petition saying they want a union, the NLRB will conduct an election. If a majority of those who vote choose the union, the NLRB will certify the union as your representative for collective bargaining. An election is not the only way a union can become your representative. Your employer may voluntarily recognize a union based on evidence - typically signed union-authorization cards - that a majority of employees want it to represent them. Once a union has been certified or recognized, the employer is required to bargain over your terms and conditions of employment with your union representative. Special rules apply in the construction industry.

The only time a company can voluntarily "recognize" a union is before a NLRB conducted union election. If such an election succeeds, the company has no further choice, but must bargain with the union.

Unless you were just saying it would be foolish for Paizo to recognize the union at all unless legally compelled to, which to be fair is what many companies believe.

[CuriousChemist]

I'm here to add my support to the efforts of United Paizo Workers. I've been a customer for years and would like to be and to whole heartedly support the company again and recognizing the union would be a big step towards that.

[Jhaeman]

As a Starfinder Charter Superscriber, I'll go ahead and commit to cancelling my subscriptions if the union isn't voluntarily recognised. A union won't solve all of the problems Paizo employees have faced, but it's a big step forward for the company and the industry as a whole.

[RyanH]

Email sent... let's hope Paizo secures a position as a leader and trailblazer in this industry by voluntarily recognizing the union. A strong and healthy employee-management relationship will result in a stronger and healthier Paizo... good for everyone.

p.s. United Paizo Workers... you should sell shirts with that awesome graphic. Use the proceeds to start developing some union funds.

[RyanH]

RyanH wrote:

Email sent... let's hope Paizo secures a position as a leader and trailblazer in this industry by voluntarily recognizing the union. A strong and healthy employee-management relationship will result in a stronger and healthier Paizo... good for everyone.

p.s. United Paizo Workers... you should sell shirts with that awesome graphic. Use the proceeds to start developing some union funds.

Here's the shirt/merch I asked for!

[Mosaic]

Late to the party but I'm thrilled to see the talented Paizo staff standing up for themselves and organizing for the right to have a voice in their working conditions. I support them and their effort to unionize 1000%. As a "charter superscriber" who's been around since the magazine days, I've done my bit to support Paizo and it's products, because they were high quality and because I liked what the company stood for. That excitement has waned a bit in the last few years and how the owners/management react to this will be make-or-break for me. If they fight this fair and sensible request from their staff, I am absolutely ready to suspend every one of of my subscriptions and boycott Paizo until they come around and see reason. I would much rather have my faith in a good company restored. Do the right thing, Paizo. Si se puede!