NLRB rules Activision Blizzard’s first union at Raven Software can vote for recognition

techcrunch.com:

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruled today that the first union at a major U.S. gaming company can file for a formal union election.

In January, the quality assurance (QA) department of Raven Software, a division of Activision Blizzard, formed their historic union. Predictably, the video game giant — which was recently acquired by Microsoft for $68.7 billion — did not grant the union voluntary recognition.

Usually, when this happens, the union can file for an election with the National Labor Board of Relations (NLRB), and if over 50% of eligible employees vote to unionize, then the company is legally required to recognize and bargain with them. But in the case of Raven Software, who formed the Game Workers Alliance through the Communication Workers of America (CWA), their parent company attempted to stop the union from even getting to a vote.

When the Game Workers Alliance filed for an election, Activision Blizzard tried to block the election by claiming that any union must include all 230 employees, which would make it much harder for the union to win the vote in an eventual election. But the NLRB ruled today that the 21-member department can hold a union election separate from the rest of Raven Software.

“We are disappointed that a decision that could significantly impact the future of our entire studio will be made by fewer than 10% of our employees,” a spokesperson from Activision Blizzard told TechCrunch. “We believe a direct relationship with team members is the best path to achieving individual and company goals.”

The spokesperson added that Activision Blizzard is reviewing legal options and may file an appeal to today’s ruling.

Before announcing their intent to unionize in January, Raven Software QA testers