Raven Software QA Developers Are Officially Unionizing

gamerant.com:

After many months of organizing, a group of employees at Raven Software’s QA team, now operating under the Game Workers Alliance, has officially voted in favor of unionization with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Today’s pro unionization vote at Raven Software marks the establishment of the first AAA video game developer union based in the United States.

Raven Software’s road to unionization has been contentious, with Activision Blizzard putting multiple hurdles in the Game Workers Alliance's path. Originating as a series of strikes at Activision Blizzard in 2021 in response to numerous Raven QA testers being dismissed from the company, whispers of a potential union eventually led to an official unionization effort in January 2022. Throughout much of the past year, Activision Blizzard has been busy sending out union-busting emails and hiring anti-union lawyers in response to the unionization effort by the group of Raven employees. In the lead-up to today’s vote, management at Raven Software even delivered a series of emails urging employees to vote against unionization, suggesting that employees intending to unionize would be skipped when considering promotions.

Activision Blizzard Accused of Union Busting

Due to Activision Blizzard’s refusal to recognize Raven Software’s newly established union, a petition with the NLRB was forced and came to a head today. Among the 28 Raven employees eligible to vote, the group submitted 24 votes. In a video conference held with the NLRB, the board counted nineteen votes in favor of unionization and three against it. If neither the Nation Labor Relations Board nor the Game Workers Alliance files an objection within the week, the result becomes official. As the dust settled, the