Activision Blizzard is continuing its efforts to undermine unionism at Raven Software, staff told The Washington Post in a crucial vote on union approaches.
Raven employees say Activision Blizzard is holding meetings and issuing election announcements to determine whether the studio’s 28 quality assurance testers can form a union. The company told its employees that the merger would affect potential benefits and promotions, and sent an email with a timeline that read, “Please vote no.”
The NLRB sends out our newsletters today at 3:00 p.m. Central Time to vote for our association GWA! We look forward to continuing our next steps and making history in this process. # We are GWA pic.twitter.com/E1sSFAtP84
– Alliance of game workers? #WeAreGWA (@WeAreGWA) April 29, 2022
The union-busting crackdown came as Raven Software testers began mailing ballots to the Milwaukee office of the National Labor Council on May 20 to vote. The official report will be released on May 23.
Employees told the Post they were disappointed with Activision Blizzard’s actions, but their views on the matter were ultimately unaffected and they voted in favor of the union.
The Washington Post said in a statement that Activision Blizzard continues to be against the union.
“While we respect the NLRB process, we are disappointed that less than 10% of our staff can make a decision that could significantly impact the future of our studio,” spokesperson Rich George said on the 22nd. april. “We believe the best way to achieve individual and corporate goals is to communicate directly with team members.”
Attempts to merge with Raven Software began in late 2021, when testers went on a two-month strike at the studio to protest the layoffs.
Source : dbl tap
