Hundreds of members of the ZeniMax Workers United union have gone on strike today to protest the «lack of progress» in negotiations with ZeniMax parent company Microsoft, as well as the company's recent «unilateral decision» to outsource QA work amidst widespread layoffs in the videogame industry. «Today, we are on strike,» the union posted on X. «We are not afraid to do what's necessary to make sure that Microsoft meets us at the bargaining table over key issues like remote work options and outsourcing. »We deserve job security and improved working conditions.
Hundreds of our members are striking from 10-6PM in Maryland and Texas today to tell Microsoft to stop dragging their feet." ZeniMax Workers United was formed as part of the Communications Workers of America in January 2023, becoming the first game studio union at Microsoft and, at the time, the largest union of videogame workers in the US.
Microsoft said when the union vote passed that «we look forward to engaging in good faith negotiations as we work towards a collective bargaining agreement,» prompting CWA president Chris Shelton to compliment the company's approach to worker unionization, saying it «should serve as a model for the industry and as a blueprint for regulators.» The honeymoon would now seem to be over, however.
The CWA said in a statement that the strike is taking place «to call out [Microsoft] for the lack of progress at the bargaining table over remote work and for unilaterally outsourcing quality assurance work without bargaining with the union.» «ZeniMax Workers United-CWA members have raised concerns that ZeniMax’s recent unilateral decision to outsource quality assurance work threatens job security amid record layoffs across the videogame industry,» the union said.
The CWA also noted that it filed an unfair labor practice charge against ZeniMax in October «for contracting out work without notification.» A representative added that contact between the union and Microsoft «has been