Microsoft Won't Stand In The Way Of Unionization Efforts, Company Says
Microsoft has said it will not stand in the way of attempts from its workers to unionize, though the company says workers don't need to form a union to be heard by upper management. Microsoft is making this statement amid a growing tide of unionization efforts in the US, including some in the video game space that could affect Microsoft going forward.
In a blog post, Microsoft president Brad Smith said the American economy «continues to evolve» and that the «free market is being reshaped in part by changing public expectations about the nature of work and the responsibilities of corporations.»
Responding to recent efforts among US workers to unionize [workers at Amazon, Starbucks, and others have recently formed unions in the US], Smith said it's an «inevitability» that even more unions are coming, and they could happen at Microsoft. This might become a reality soon for Microsoft, as some workers at Call of Duty studio Raven recently voted to form a union. Microsoft is in the process of acquiring Activision Blizzard, the Call of Duty franchise, and all of its studios. Xbox boss Phil Spencer previously said Microsoft would recognize Raven's workers' union.
Microsoft will not seek to stop workers from unionizing, Smith said, but the company also is not promoting unions. «Our employees will never need to organize to have a dialogue with Microsoft's leaders,» Smith said. «But we also recognize the workplace is changing.»
Smith said Microsoft has «talked with and worked hard to learn from» leaders in the labor, business, and academic spaces as it relates to unions. But it's still early days, and Smith acknowledged that «We recognize that we have far more learning ahead of us than behind us.»
Smith went on to say that
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