Raven Software QA workers unionize within Activision Blizzard
Quality assurance workers at Raven Software, a subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, are unionizing with the Communication Workers of America (CWA). The group, called Game Workers Alliance, is the first group of workers to form a unit under Activision Blizzard. Workers are asking the company to voluntarily recognize the union, which has the support of the “supermajority” of Raven Software QA workers — 78% of the eligible workers, a CWA representative told Polygon.
Some Raven Software QA workers have been on strike since early December, after Activision Blizzard denied new contracts for 12 members of the QA team. The strike of “several dozen workers,” according to the Washington Post, has no end date, and management has not yet responded to workers demands.
Related
“Today, I am proud to join with a supermajority of my fellow workers to build our union, Game Workers Alliance (CWA),” Raven Software QA tester Becka Aigner said in a news release. “In the video game industry, specifically Raven QA, people are passionate about their jobs and the content they are creating. We want to make sure that the passion from these workers is accurately reflected in our workplace and the content we make. Our union is how our collective voices can be heard by leadership.”
According to the CWA, Activision Blizzard has not cooperated with worker-organizers. Instead, it’s “used surveillance and intimidation tactics, including hiring notorious union busters, to silence workers.”
“We ask that Activision Blizzard management respect Raven QA workers by voluntarily recognizing CWA’s representation without hesitation,” Communications Workers of America secretary-treasurer Sara Steffens said in a statement. “A collective bargaining agreement will give
Read more on polygon.com
