Under Microsoft’s Nose, Activision Employees Formed Largest Labor Union at Any U.S. Game Studio
Activision employees agreed to form their labor union under Microsoft's banner. The Redmond giant has approved the operation of such an association within its structures.
The resounding layoffs in the industry haven't spared the gaming branches of Microsoft and Activision, which has been owned by the Redmond giant for some time now. Out of fear of another massive layoffs, Activision employees have chosen to establish their own labor union.
- Around 600 people working in quality assurance at Activision have established a labor union named Activision Quality Assurance United, which is affiliated with the national organization Communication Workers of America (CWE).
- Microsoft recognized this association because it stems from the provisions of the agreement made in 2022. The company then agreed not to hinder the functioning of such groups in order to "finalize" the acquisition of the Activision Blizzard holding.
- The newly established trade union is the largest group of its kind in the United States when it comes to the gaming industry.
More than a year ago, employees of the ZeniMax concern, also belonging to the "greens," formed their union. This group brings together 300 game testers. As CWE noted, the trade union organization already represents a total of over 1,000 employees of the IT giant. It's worth emphasizing that these are the first trade unions in the nearly 50-year history of Microsoft.
The layoffs in the ranks of the Redmond giant mentioned at the beginning of this news included both the Xbox and Activision departments. At that time, almost two thousand people lost their jobs. Among those leaving was Mike Ybarra, the CEO of Blizzard. However, he decided to leave the company himself, as he announced on X.
