The organized labor movement has a new ally: venture capitalists
The staff at PEN America made the announcement in June: They were forming a union.
Like their fellow workers at Starbucks stores and Amazon warehouses around the country, the employees of PEN, a literary and human rights nonprofit, decided to form an independent union, unaffiliated with any of the dozens of major labor unions across the country. But in this case, there was a twist.
"We're so grateful to have been supported by @UnitUnionizing throughout this drive," the union drive leaders tweeted. "We've learned so much from their organizers, legal advisers, and comms experts!"
A startup backed by Silicon Valley venture capitalists, Unit of Work is an unlikely candidate for the role of labor-movement champion. Its outside investors have made fortunes backing technologies such as artificial intelligence, cryptocurrencies and video games. One is among California's foremost critics of public-sector labor unions.
