After many months of organizing, a group of employees at Raven Software’s QA team, now operating under the Game Workers Alliance, has officially voted in favor of unionization with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Today’s pro unionization vote at Raven Software marks the establishment of the first AAA video game developer union based in the United States.
Raven Software’s road to unionization has been contentious, with Activision Blizzard putting multiple hurdles in the Game Workers Alliance's path. Originating as a series of strikes at Activision Blizzard in 2021 in response to numerous Raven QA testers being dismissed from the company, whispers of a potential union eventually led to an official unionization effort in January 2022. Throughout much of the past year, Activision Blizzard has been busy sending out union-busting emails and hiring anti-union lawyers in response to the unionization effort by the group of Raven employees. In the lead-up to today’s vote, management at Raven Software even delivered a series of emails urging employees to vote against unionization, suggesting that employees intending to unionize would be skipped when considering promotions.
Due to Activision Blizzard’s refusal to recognize Raven Software’s newly established union, a petition with the NLRB was forced and came to a head today. Among the 28 Raven employees eligible to vote, the group submitted 24 votes. In a video conference held with the NLRB, the board counted nineteen votes in favor of unionization and three against it. If neither the Nation Labor Relations Board nor the Game Workers Alliance files an objection within the week, the result becomes official. As the dust settled, the Game Workers Alliance stated that Raven employees intend to negotiate a contract with Activision Blizzard to address unfair compensation and unfair working conditions at Raven Software.
For the past year, Activision Blizzard has been the subject of much scrutiny, starting with lawsuits issued by the state of California accusing the publisher of workplace harassment and poor working conditions. Additionally, multiple New York funds are investigating Activision, claiming that the company failed to comply with all requests to inspect its books in October 2021, only a short time before Microsoft would announce its acquisition of the company. While Microsoft has stated that it will not “stand in the way of a union,” the Game Workers Alliance still has to contend with Activision Blizzard to achieve its goals in what will likely be a drawn-out process.
Though a big win for the Game Workers Alliance and employees at the Call of Duty development studio, the newly established union’s negotiations with Activision Blizzard will likely prove challenging in the months to come. Activision has repeatedly sent emails to Raven employees reiterating how long it takes for a union to negotiate its first contract and how pay increases under unions are not guaranteed. Jessica Taylor, a spokeswoman for Activision Blizzard, states to The Washington Post, “We believe that an important decision that will impact the entire Raven Software studio of roughly 350 people should not be made by 19 of Raven employees. We’re committed to doing what’s best for the studio and our employees.”
Source: The Washington Post