One person even decided to leverage Twitch itself, starting a channel called Scabstream to document people crossing the picket line and raise money to contribute to the strikers’ GoFundMe. The channel’s most popular clip appears to catch Twitch millionaire and proud bus owner Tyler “Ninja” Blevins crossing the picket line, but the footage is blurry, and it’s tough to say if it’s really him (there were, unsurprisingly, a lot of people rocking his blue-haired pixie boy look at TwitchCon). I reached out to Ninja for comment, but as of publishing, he hadn’t replied.

Advertisement

I also reached out to whoever was behind Scabstream, but they didn’t reply either. Additionally, I asked four different strikers if they had any idea who was hosting the stream, and they all said they didn’t know. The only concrete sign I could find of this person’s existence was a literal sign hanging outside the Marriott’s entrance. “DON’T GET CAUGHT,” it read, also displaying logos for Twitch and Scabstream. The stream, however, only went live on October 26 and 27, and has shown no activity since.

Advertisement

Between systemic encouragement of long hours, stratified streamer tiers that ensure only Twitch is maximally profiting from streamers’ work, and issues that come part and parcel with independent contracting like unstable pay and a lack of healthcare, Twitch has labor issues of its own. Some streamers are acutely aware of this. One prominent streamer I spoke to, Adam Koebel, said he might’ve ended up skipping TwitchCon altogether if he’d booked a room in the Marriott and then found out about the strike. But, for the most part, Twitch streamers skew young and come from a generation that lacks firsthand experience with things like labor unions. McDermott saw both sides of the coin during TwitchCon.

“I’ve seen some people who’ve said, ‘Yeah, we really get where you’re coming from. We’re with you,’” she said. “And then there’s a lot of people who just don’t have a lot of consciousness about labor issues or unions whether it’s for themselves or other people.”

Advertisement

She said, though, that things are looking up for the strikers in San Jose. They’ve received support from the Democratic Socialists of America, the South Bay Labor Council, and local politicians. There’s also a negotiation meeting with Marriott set for Tuesday, according to McDermott.

Advertisement

Kotaku reached out to Marriott International for confirmation of this meeting, but the company didn’t reply. In a statement to USA Today earlier this month, however, it said it was “disappointed” that the union had “chosen to resort to a strike instead of attempting to resolve these disputes at the bargaining table” and added that it was activating “contingency plans” to keep services going. “While we respect our associates’ rights to participate in this work stoppage, we also will welcome any associate who chooses to continue to work,” the company said.

26 days later, though, the chants continue—and it sounds like they won’t stop until Marriott starts singing a different tune.

Advertisement

“I think the workers are ready to keep the striking going as long as they have to until they get what they need,” McDermott said.