Workers at a subsidiary of Activision Blizzard voted to unionize on Monday, establishing the first union at a major US video game publisher.
Software quality assurance workers at Activision's Raven Software division, which works on the "Call of Duty" series, voted 19-3 to unionize and will be represented by the Communications Workers of America (CWA).
The vote, counted by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), applies to a segment of workers at Raven, which employs about 350 people. The NLRB previously rejected Activision's demand that a union election include all workers.
This week's vote is the latest in a series of organizing efforts that have taken place at other tech companies in recent months, including Apple Store retailers and Amazon warehouse workers. Tech staff have also unionized in organizations like The New York Times, where staff voted 404 to 88 to form a union representing roughly 600 software engineers, data analysts, and other workers.
The decision to unionize at Raven Software follows months of organizing by Raven workers. Organizers formed the Game Workers Alliance in January to represent workers after a five-week strike over Activision's decision to fire 12 quality control testers. The Game Workers Alliance action was supported by the CWA.
“Our greatest hope is that our union will inspire the growing movement of workers organizing in game studios to create better games and build workplaces that reflect our values and empower us all,” Activision union workers said in a statement. a statement. . "We look forward to working with management to positively shape our working conditions and the future of Activision Blizzard through a strong union contract."
The company, in a statement, reiterated that it wants any union vote to be carried out among all its workers: “We respect and believe in the right of all employees to decide whether to support or vote for a union or not. We believe that an important decision that will affect the entire Raven Software studio, which has approximately 350 people, should not be made by 19 Raven employees.
Activision will be acquired by Microsoft in a $68.700 billion deal that was approved by Activision shareholders in April. The acquisition is expected to be completed in June 2023.
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