Activision’s union, with 600 members, is now the largest in video games

The number of unionized workers for Microsoft’s video game affiliates continues to grow, and the latest group to join the bandwagon is the largest yet. Approximately 600 quality assurance employees at Activision have joins the Communication Workers of America (CWA), making them the largest certified union in the video game industry in the United States. They are also the first Activision workers to organize under the Microsoft-CWA agreement. If you recall, Microsoft agreed to respect the right of Activision Blizzard workers to unionize as part of its efforts to secure regulatory approval for its $68.7 billion takeover of the video game developer.

CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. said Microsoft kept its promise to let workers decide for themselves whether they want a union. Part of Microsoft’s promise when it agreed to a pact with the CWA was that it would take a neutral approach during a union campaign, and the company has said it does not interfere or influence people’s votes.

Another element of their agreement was giving employees access to an “innovative technology-supported and streamlined process for choosing whether to join a union,” which includes not petitioning the National Labor Relations Board for an election. In this case, workers only had to sign a union authorization card or vote online. According to New York Times390 workers voted to form a union, and eight people were against. About 200 more did not vote.

In early 2023, Microsoft also recognized a union with 300 workers for Zenimax, the owner of Bethesda and another of the company’s video game subsidiaries, which was the largest in the video game industry at the time. These workers also unionized under the simpler process made possible by the company’s agreement with the CWA. By the end of the year, Microsoft agreed to hire 77 temporary QA contractors as full-time Zenimax union employees, a welcome victory for workers in an industry beset by layoffs.