Activision Blizzard’s Raven Software QA workers win union vote

Staff at Raven Software program answerable for high quality assurance on Name of Responsibility: Warzone voted Monday in favor of forming a union, the primary of its type at writer Activision Blizzard. The almost 30-person group mailed ballots to the Nationwide Labor Relations Board in April resulting in an official rely on Monday. Nineteen employees voted “sure” on the vote, with three votes in opposition to the union.

The group, known as Sport Staff Alliance, will transfer into contract negotiations with Activision Blizzard (which Microsoft plans to amass as a part of a $68.7 billion deal), supported by the Communications Staff of America’s Marketing campaign to Manage Digital Staff (CODE-CWA).

Activision Blizzard has not responded to Polygon’s request for remark.

Raven Software program QA employees started their union drive in January following a weekslong strike. Activision Blizzard introduced a reorganization of QA employees in January, shifting QA testers into “embedded” positions inside different departments, a transfer that CWA organizing director Tom Smith known as “nothing greater than a tactic to thwart Raven QA employees who’re exercising their proper to arrange.” Activision Blizzard denied that characterization, saying it was a “fastidiously thought-about” change that “brings Raven into alignment with the perfect practices of different distinguished Activision studios.”

Since then, Activision Blizzard introduced it deliberate to transform one other 1,000 QA employees to full-time positions, enhance their pay to $20 per hour, and permit QA employees entry to bonuses and advantages. Raven Software program QA employees weren’t supplied the identical pay raises at the moment; Activision Blizzard claimed that was due to “authorized obligations beneath the Nationwide Labor Relations Act.”

In February, Activision Blizzard contested the voting at an NLRB listening to, wherein the corporate argued that the embedded construction redefines the phrases of union-eligible workers — that means that the complete firm, round 230 individuals, ought to vote. The NLRB rejected this declare in April earlier than setting the date for Monday’s vote, the place almost 30 Raven Software program QA employees participated.

Sport Staff Alliance is the primary group of workers to unionize beneath Activision Blizzard.

A union push can also be underway at Key phrases Studios B.C., which has beforehand supported BioWare’s QA efforts. Like Raven Software program’s QA workforce, Key phrases Studios’ QA employees stated they face low wages in high-rent areas, plus elevated bills because of the studio’s return-to-work mandate. Key phrases Studios’ proposed union will probably be related in scope to Raven’s, with round 15-20 members, with help from United Meals and Business Staff Canada Union, Native No. 401.

These union efforts have been preceded by Vodeo Staff United, the Vodeo Video games union that additionally partnered with CODE-CWA. Vodeo Staff United was the primary North American online game studio to unionize, following profitable campaigns at tabletop studios Paizo and Playing cards In opposition to Humanity and a profitable strike by Lovestruck: Select Your Romance writers at Voltage Leisure.

Labor organizing and unionization within the online game trade is extra widespread exterior of North America; expertise trade in North America traditionally been thought-about anti-union. Online game employees, particularly, have reported working lengthy hours — typically as much as 100 per week beneath crunch circumstances — and low pay. QA employees, particularly, informed Polygon in 2021 that they usually really feel disposable, with minimum-wage pay and contract work cycles.

Even earlier than Monday’s vote, nevertheless, Activision Blizzard employees noticed success with regard to its solidarity marketing campaign, with the aforementioned full-time conversions and pay bump. Although a small a part of Activision Blizzard as a complete, the Raven Software program QA union effort has had an outsized influence, employees stated, with that win for all QA employees throughout the corporate.

Online game union supporters are betting that the influence from Raven Software program’s efforts will assist push momentum ahead towards unionizing the broader trade.

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