YouTubers have joined up with IG Metall, Europe’s largest trade union, to demand that YouTube come to the table within 4 weeks to negotiate their terms, or else.
Jörg Sprave, one of the leaders for YouTubers Union, and Christiane Benner, IG Metall’s Vice President, announced “FairTube” in a YouTube video on July 26. FairTube is the partnership the two unions have formed to voice their demands to YouTube and express what they plan to do if their demands are not met.
“We have founded the joint venture FairTube,” Sprave said in the video. “And now time will change for YouTube since we have 125 years of experience in the fight against injustice and over two million members plus superb lawyers are now joining forces with thousands of YouTubers who are really unhappy with the way things go.”
The video, and FairTube’s website, outlines 6 demands “to get more fairness and transparency for all YouTube creators.” Included in the list of demands are transparency on why videos get demonetized, clear criteria for demonitization, and a person fro YouTubers to talk to if a video gets demonetized. (RELATED: YouTube CEO Explains Why She Didn’t Ban Steven Crowder)
Sprave believes this problem started back in 2017 during the “Adpocalypse,” Vice reported. During the “Adpocalypse,” the relationship between YouTube and advertisers changed drastically.
Advertisers said they did not want their ads to be shown with “extremist content” so they wanted “brand safety control” or else they would leave the site, according to Vice. “Advertisers want control over content that they are displaying against like in magazines,” Sprave told Vice. “YouTube previously did not allow this but caved in after the companies threatened to leave.”
“We aren’t demanding things that cut into profits or are unrealistic. We want fairness. We want transparency. We want to be treated like partners. And we want personal communication instead of anonymous communication,” Sprave continued to tell Vice. FairTube is giving YouTube until August 23rd to respond to their demands.
“And now, pay attention, C level managers at YouTube, you have exactly four weeks to enter into negotiations with us. Tik, tok, the clock is ticking,” Sprave said in the video.
If YouTube does not meet their demands, there are a couple legal actions that Sprave and Brenner have said they could pursue. They will look into using Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation law against YouTube or seeing if creators should be treated like employees of the site.
“Creators are an important part of the YouTube ecosystem, that’s why YouTube shares the majority of revenue generated with its creator partners,” a YouTube spokesperson said in an emailed statement to the Daily Caller. “In order to enable the ecosystem to thrive, YouTube must strike a balance to ensure the safety of its users, the suitability of content for advertisers and the long term sustainability of creator businesses.” (RELATED: YouTube’s Sinister Pedophile Community Continues To Flourish)
The spokesperson said YouTube is always talking to their creators in different ways in order to get their feedback.
The Daily Caller reached out to FairTube for comment, but they did not respond before publication.