Paizo Paizo Workers Unionize

The workers at Paizo, publisher of Pathfinder and Starfinder, have formed the United Paizo Workers union (UPW). The new union speaks of its love for the company, but cites a number of underlying issues including underpay, crunch conditions, and the recent allegations regarding the work environment made by former employee Jessica Price. They also bring up hiring practices, pay inequity, verbal abuse from management, and the covering up of harassment allegations.

The UPW is asking Paizo to recognize the union.

Redmond, WA (October 14th, 2021) — Today, the workers at Paizo, Inc - publisher of the Pathfinder and Starfinder roleplaying games - are announcing their formation of the United Paizo Workers union (UPW), with the Communication Workers of America’s CODE-CWA project. This union is the first of its kind in the tabletop roleplaying games industry.

“Unions have helped build a stronger working class in America and I’m proud to stand with United Paizo Workers. I believe that when we all work together, we’re better for it. Unionization allows workers to have a seat at the table and ensures that our voices and concerns are being heard and addressed so that all of Paizo can move forward for a positive future.” - Shay Snow, Editor

"I love my job. I love my coworkers, and I love the company I work for. I get to sell a game that I love to a community that I love. I come from a pro-union family, and I believe that unionizing Paizo will be the best way to protect the people, company, and community that I love, for now and going forward into the future." - Cosmo Eisele, Sales Manager

“My coworkers are amazing and so are the games we make together. I want Paizo to keep publishing Pathfinder and Starfinder content for years to come. This is my way of helping management improve our company culture, and by extension, the content we produce.” - Jenny Jarzabski, Starfinder Developer

“I proudly stand with my coworkers as we strive to help improve our workplace, and I believe the UPW will amplify our voices and assist with the changes we feel are necessary in making Paizo a more positive space for its employees.” - Logan Harper, Customer Service Representative

Paizo is one of the largest tabletop roleplaying publishers in the world, producing more than 10 hardcover books annually, along with numerous digital adventures and gaming accessories. Paizo also runs some of the most successful living campaigns in tabletop gaming history, with regular players in more than 36 countries. However, despite this success, Paizo’s workers are underpaid for their labor, required to live in one of the most expensive cities in the United States, and subjected to untenable crunch conditions on a regular basis.

Though efforts to organize by the Paizo workforce had already been underway for some time, the sudden departures of several long-standing employees in September and the subsequent allegations of managerial impropriety by former Paizo employees threw into stark relief the imbalance of the employer/employee relationship. These events, as well as internal conversations among Paizo workers, have uncovered a pattern of inconsistent hiring practices, pay inequity across the company, allegations of verbal abuse from executives and management, and allegations of harassment ignored or covered up by those at the top. These findings have further galvanized the need for clearer policies and stronger employee protections to ensure that Paizo staff can feel secure in their employment.

Changes have been promised, internally and externally, by the executive team. However, the only way to ensure that all workers’ voices are heard is collective action. It is in this spirit that the workers of Paizo have united to push for real changes at the company. The UPW is committed to advocating on behalf of all staffers, and invites all eligible Paizo employees to join in the push for better, more sustainable working conditions. The union requests the broad support of the tabletop community in urging Paizo management to voluntarily recognize the United Paizo Workers, and to negotiate in good faith with the union so that both may build a better workplace together.

For more information, please contact the Organizing Committee at committee@unitedpaizoworkers.org

Raychael Allor, Customer Service Representative

Brian Bauman, Software Architect

Logan Bonner, Pathfinder Lead Designer

Robert Brandenburg, Software Developer

James Case, Pathfinder Game Designer

John Compton, Starfinder Senior Developer

Katina Davis, Webstore Coordinator

David "Cosmo" Eisele, Sales Manager

Heather Fantasia, Customer Service Representative

Eleanor Ferron, Pathfinder Developer

Keith Greer, Customer Service Representative

Logan Harper, Customer Service Representative

Sasha "Mika" Hawkins, Sales and E-Commerce Assistant

Jenny Jarzabski, Starfinder Developer

Erik Keith, Software Test Engineer

Mike Kimmel, Organized Play Line Developer

Avi Kool, Senior Editor

Maryssa Lagervall, Web Content Manager

Luis Loza, Pathfinder Developer

Joe Pasini, Starfinder Lead Designer

Austin Phillips, Customer Service Representative

Lee Rucker, Project Coordinator

Sol St. John, Editor

Michael Sayre, Pathfinder Designer

Shay Snow, Editor

Alex Speidel, Organized Play Coordinator

Levi Steadman, Software Test Engineer

Gary Teter, Senior Software Developer

Josh Thornton, Systems Administrator II

Jake Tondro, Senior Developer

Andrew White, Front End Engineering Lead



In Solidarity:

Thurston Hillman, Digital Adventures Developer

 

[Blue Orange]

Wouldn't that be the case already? I'm not in the US, but I get health insurance and pensions from my company (which is a US multi-national) and I'm not in a union (unfortunately, I am in one of the least unionised jobs in general).

I still fail to see how a union impacts on this.

What country are you in? (Serious question.) Americans famously get health insurance through their employer. The government's supposed to sell it to you if the employer doesn't give it to you, but some more conservative states did not step in and...it's complicated. Few Americans get pensions anymore, you're expected to save money left over after wages and expenses and invest it in the stock market.

The US social safety net is much weaker than that in many other rich countries.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

I don't think anyone was seriously doubting there was truth to what she was saying, most of the complaints I read (and had) was about her proclivity for crude hyperbole and frustrating tendency to cast herself as an oppressed savior and almost everyone else as vicious accomplices of the forces of evil (a narrative she has repeated many, many times). There's nothing about the Paizo Union that's even a fraction as unpalatable, it has actual attainable goals and a course of action. I understand the anxiety over if it will slow down or shut down the company's output, but I would find that incredibly unlikely, or at least if it does happen a Union would not be the primary or even secondary reason.

Regardless of how you feel about Price, the actual factual information she provided (like an office space not being cleaned in 7 years, and management not wanting to have it cleaned) still points to Paizo's workplace being horrible.

I'm glad the employees are trying (and hopefully succeed) to get improved work conditions, though I am skeptical of unions universally being a force of good.

 

[sevenbastard]

Wouldn't that be the case already? I'm not in the US, but I get health insurance and pensions from my company (which is a US multi-national) and I'm not in a union (unfortunately, I am in one of the least unionised jobs in general).

I still fail to see how a union impacts on this.

It really depends on the Industry but where I work union employees pay about $50 a month for thier families insurance and non union pays about $500 a month for the same insurance.

The company is covering a % of everyone's insurance but obviously a much larger portion of the Healthcare cost for union employees.

Again it depends on what is negotiated but the reason companies are against unions is because they cut into the bottom line. This is from both direct costs like healthcare and pensions and typically through reducing the workload thus requiring more employees to do the job.

 

[JThursby]

Regardless of how you feel about Price, the actual factual information she provided (like an office space not being cleaned in 7 years, and management not wanting to have it cleaned) still points to Paizo's workplace being horrible.

Certainly in a state that demands reform, which is what is being asked for.

I'm glad the employees are trying (and hopefully succeed) to get improved work conditions, though I am skeptical of unions universally being a force of good.

Like Morrus said, the efficacy of unions is beyond the scope of this thread, but to put it simply, the unions people worry about are the huge corrupt ones like the US Teacher's Union and the US Police Union that actively make the lives of the people they serve (children and the general public respectively) appreciably worse. A publishing union less than a hundred people in size for a company that sells stuff to niche hobbyists isn't anything to fear.

 

[Riley]

Most likely, Paizo will fight this and there will be a vote in the future as to whether or not there is a union.*
*Because this is America, and that's what always happens. Well, almost always.

Paizo is privately owned, I believe, and is able to choose to be one of the companies who works with its employees and welcomes their unionization.

I guess we’ll find out soon if Paizo is the progressive and welcoming employer they have seemed to style themselves as.

 

[Ixal]

Lets see if Paizo survives this.

 

[Uni-the-Unicorn!]

I'm not sure how I feel about that. Working in a heavily unionized environment has been some of the worst work experiences I've had, but again unions proved very useful, maybe even necessary in certain industries. It's what they want, I hope they get it!

I’ve worked in unionized and non-unionized workplaces. My working conditions and compensation have always been vastly better at a unionized job versus one that was not. I hope this works out for team P

 

[Helldritch]

If the workers at Paizo feel that they must unionize, it must be becauseany of them feel that they are not paid a fitting salary to what they are doing compared to some others.

I wish them luck.

 

[Bayushi_seikuro]

I’ve worked in unionized and non-unionized workplaces. My working conditions and compensation have always been vastly better at a unionized job versus one that was not. I hope this works out for team P

I'm with you. I've also worked in a bizarre mush where I was considered 'bargained' when I worked for one corporation - I paid no union dues, but I got the benefits. An example: I went on vacation once and came back to a pay raise ($2/hour) retroactive back three months. That was pretty hefty. And then later, my position got reclassified again, and I got another $0.75/hr retroactive back three months.

To say that whole place was crazy is... an understatement. But, it's a notoriously rich company so they were probably like... whatever

 

[Uni-the-Unicorn!]

I don't think anyone was seriously doubting there was truth to what she was saying, most of the complaints I read (and had) was about her proclivity for crude hyperbole and frustrating tendency to cast herself as an oppressed savior and almost everyone else as vicious accomplices of the forces of evil (a narrative she has repeated many, many times). There's nothing about the Paizo Union that's even a fraction as unpalatable, it has actual attainable goals and a course of action. I understand the anxiety over if it will slow down or shut down the company's output, but I would find that incredibly unlikely, or at least if it does happen a Union would not be the primary or even secondary reason.

That characterization of her posts seems rather jaded / biased against her. I knew nothing about her until the recent scandal and that is not how I would describe her posts at all.