In January of this year, the QA testers of Raven Software, owned by Activision and the developer of Call of Duty Warzone, entered a syndication process. 80% of Raven Software’s QA testing team became members of the union, which was established under the name of the “Game Workers Alliance” (GWA).
It was recently announced that the GWA vote had been finalized in favor of Raven Software. Of the 22 votes cast to unionize, 19 favored Raven Software, thus formally establishing the union. GWA became the first union to be established under Activision Blizzard and became the second official union of the entire US game industry.
The unionizing brought along some heavy discussions. Raven Software has approximately 350 employees. Activision Blizzard spokesperson Jessica Taylor argues that “An important decision that will impact the entire Raven Software studio of roughly 350 people should not be made by 19 Raven employees.”
It started with a strike, and ended with a union
The story’s beginning is based on Activision Blizzard’s previous dismissal of some employees from the Raven Software QA team “without justification.” In some sources, these dismissals are also reported to be related to the harassment and abuse cases that Activision Blizzard has wrestled with for a long time. Previously, CWA (Communications Workers of America) had called on the SEC to investigate disputes within Activision on the subject.
Following the layoffs, disagreements between Activision Blizzard and Raven Software reached their climax. Some employees of the QA team entered a five-week strike period at the Wisconsin-based Call of Duty support studio. Employees have requested from Activision Blizzard job assurance, improved pay, and protection of employee rights.
On the Activision Blizzard side, things worked differently. For a long time, the company resisted and stood its ground against the unionizing attempt and meeting the demands of the QA team. The company stated that “the Raven Software QA team’s demands and the claims are unfounded.”
There are still voices against this union within Activision Blizzard. On the other hand, the company did not remain completely indifferent to the employees’ wishes. Improvements were made for some employees, and restoration processes were carried out within the company. Most of these improvements came after Microsoft bought Activision Blizzard. Therefore, some think that Microsoft has influence in this matter.
What did Activision Blizzard do?
Dissatisfied with the unionization process, Activision Blizzard changed the positions of some of its employees officially registered with GWA. Activision Blizzard, which is currently being investigated by the SEC, went through an intense process after the CWA called for a new investigation. The company has denied the allegations against it many times.
On the other hand, the company also made some improvements. Approximately 1000 temporary and contract Activision Blizzard employees were hired full-time. The minimum wage was set at $20 per hour and improved working conditions. Raven Software employees were employed full time, but some employees were denied minimum wage increases.
Activision Blizzard’s spokesperson, Jessica Taylor, in a statement to The Verge, said the following regarding GWA:
“We respect and believe in the right of all employees to decide whether or not to support or vote for a union. We believe that an important decision that will impact the entire Raven Software studio of roughly 350 people should not be made by 19 Raven employees.”
As of today, Activision Blizzard still does not entirely approve of the unionization process. The new union allegedly has no authority to speak about all Activision Blizzard employees. However, the process initiated by the Raven Software QA team led to the improvement of the conditions of many employees. For now, it is a matter of curiosity about what kind of results the activities of the new union will have.
