Call of Duty: Warzone QA workers unionize within Activision Blizzard

Raven Software is a subsidiary of Activision Blizzard. Its quality assurance workers are joining the Communication Workers of America. Game Workers Alliance was the first workers group to create a Unit under Activision Blizzard. Workers are asking the company to voluntarily recognize the union, which has the support of the “supermajority” of Raven Software QA workers — 78% of the eligible workers, a CWA representative told Polygon.

Raven Software QA employees have been striking since December 1st, when Activision Blizzard stopped giving new contracts to the 12 members of their QA team. The strike of “several dozen workers,” according to the Washington Post, has no end date, and management has not yet responded to workers demands.

“Today, I am proud to join with a supermajority of my fellow workers to build our union, Game Workers Alliance (CWA),” Raven Software QA tester Becka Aigner said in a news release. “In the video game industry, specifically Raven QA, people are passionate about their jobs and the content they are creating. Our union wants to reflect the enthusiasm of these workers in our work environment and in the content that we create. Our union is how our collective voices can be heard by leadership.”

CWA says Activision Blizzard did not collaborate with worker-organizers. Instead, it’s “used surveillance and intimidation tactics, including hiring notorious union busters, to silence workers.”

“We ask that Activision Blizzard management respect Raven QA workers by voluntarily recognizing CWA’s representation without hesitation,” Communications Workers of America secretary-treasurer Sara Steffens said in a statement. “A collective bargaining agreement will give Raven QA employees a voice at work, improving the games they produce and making the company stronger. Voluntary recognition is the rational way forward.”

On Tuesday, Microsoft announced its intention to acquire Activision Blizzard — including Raven Software. Activision Blizzard employees will report to Phil Spencer, Microsoft Gaming CEO. The $68.7billion deal will be finalized by 2023. Until the deal is approved, however, Bobby Kotick will remain as Activision Blizzard CEO, despite workers calling for his resignation in the wake of multiple lawsuits and federal investigations into the company’s workplace culture.