Blizzard QA workers from Vicarious Visions announce plan to unionize
polygon.comQA workers at Blizzard Albany, formerly known as Vicarious Visions, are asking Activision Blizzard to recognize their union. The group, called Game Workers Alliance Albany (GWA Albany), announced the union push on Twitter. The Washington Post first reported the story.
“QA is currently an undervalued discipline in the games and software industries. We strive to foster work environments where we are respected and compensated for our essential role in the development process,” GWA Albany wrote. “We, the QA testers of Blizzard Albany are committed to fostering an open, diverse, and equitable workplace. We demand an environment where our skills, ideals, and democratic decisions are valued and respected. To that end, we have organized with [Communication Works of America] to form our union.”
Today, we announce a new union at Activision Blizzard. QA is currently an undervalued discipline in the games and software industries. We strive to foster work environments where we are respected and compensated for our essential role in the development process. 1/5
GWA Albany asked Activision Blizzard for voluntary recognition last week, according to CWA. Activision Blizzard has not responded officially. In a statement to Polygon, an Activision Blizzard spokesperson said the company will respond “publicly and formally” to the National Labor Relations Board petition.
The full statement is as follows:
Our top priority remains our employees. We deeply respect the rights of all employees under the law to make their own decisions about whether or not to join a union. We believe that a direct relationship between the company and its employees is the most productive relationship. The company will be publicly and formally providing a response to
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