In a groundbreaking move, about 600 workers at Activision Publishing, the video game maker owned by Microsoft, have decided to unionize, forming the largest video game workers’ union in the United States, the Communications Workers of America announced on Friday.
The employees, who work in quality assurance testing Activision’s games for bugs and glitches, voted overwhelmingly in favor of forming a union, with 390 in support and only eight opposed. This decision comes after Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard for $69 billion in October and signed a unique pact with the C.W.A. to remain neutral if workers wanted to unionize.
The unionization effort was supported by Activision’s management, who refrained from expressing any opinions on the matter, in line with the pact signed with Microsoft. This allowed workers to organize without fear of retaliation or interference.
Kara Fannon, a member of the union organizing committee, expressed gratitude for the support, stating, “It has helped with a lot of people who were concerned about union busting or potential retaliation.” The new union is the first at Activision since the pact went into effect.
The union, which includes employees from offices in Minnesota, Texas, and California, aims to negotiate for higher pay, improved job security, and more advancement opportunities for quality assurance testers, who are among the lowest-paid workers in game development.
The process of unionization was expedited, with workers indicating their support or opposition through signing union authorization cards or voting online. After the vote count, Microsoft recognized C.W.A. as the bargaining representative for the Activision Publishing central quality assurance employees.
This move comes after a series of layoffs and cost-cutting measures in the video game industry, with workers seeking better layoff protections and improved severance packages. The success of unionization efforts at ZeniMax Media, another video game company owned by Microsoft, also played a role in inspiring Activision workers to organize.
With the formation of this union, the C.W.A. now represents over 1,000 video game workers at Microsoft, setting a new precedent for labor relations in the industry.
