Activision Blizzard Places QA Testers In Marketing Department To Prevent Unionization Efforts
Activision Blizzard management is arguing that everyone at Raven Software should vote on unionization efforts put forth by the Game Workers Alliance, an unofficial union formed by Raven’s QA testers. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) held hearings with Raven Software employees and management on Wednesday to discuss the merits of unionization efforts and who should vote to unionize.
The Washington Post reported that much of the initial hearing was spent arguing over definitions of who should get a vote for unionization. Raven management pressed for every Raven employee voting in an attempt to dilute union support as much as possible.
Related: Microsoft Needs To Put Workers First In The Activision Blizzard Takeover
Raven’s QA team announced its intent to form North American’s first gaming union last month following an extended strike action in the wake of mass terminations. The 34 remaining QA testers requested union recognition but were refused by Raven management and Activision Blizzard. Since then, management has enacted multiple union-busting strategies, including mandatory anti-union propaganda viewings and organizational changes that embed QA testers all across Raven’s various studio divisions.
During the NLRB hearing, Raven QA testers testified that in the weeks following those organizational changes many still don’t know who they report to or what they should even be doing. Organizational charts presented by Activision Blizzard showed QA testers embedded in ridiculous places like marketing and IT. Sources speaking to the Washington Post said that several Raven employees screengrabbed the organizational chart to create memes mocking Activision Blizzard.
“The lack of transparency from management during this
Read more on thegamer.com
