ZeniMax Online Studios has over 300 quality assurance (AQ) employees who are in the midst of voting to organize a union. This vote will be in collaboration with CODE-CWA (Communication Workers of America and will conclude at the end of December.,
On Twitter, ZeniMax Workers United announced the news: “Today we, a majority of QA workers at ZeniMax, are proud to announce the launch of our union with (CODE-CWA). We are the first group of workers at Microsoft to formally unionize. We are empowered to advocate for ourselves & build a future where we can thrive alongside the company.”
Today we, a majority of QA workers at ZeniMax, are proud to announce the launch of our union with @CWAunion. We are the first group of workers at Microsoft to formally unionize. We are empowered to advocate for ourselves & build a future where we can thrive alongside the company
— ZeniMax Workers United – CWA (@ZeniMaxWorkers) December 5, 2022
Just last week, QA workers at Activision Blizzard Albany studio voted unanimously to form their union after their parent company attempted for a second time to prevent the workforce to unionize.
When Microsoft announced it was purchasing Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion, it promised to bring to the publisher values and principles regarding labour organizations. So far, Microsoft has remained neutral on the situation and “remained committed to staying neutral throughout this process.”
So far, Microsoft has remained committed to staying neutral throughout this process. As we vote over the next 4 weeks in our democratic election, we hope that you will support our journey towards building lasting positive change for workers, gamers & the industry as a whole.
— ZeniMax Workers United – CWA (@ZeniMaxWorkers) December 5, 2022
The employees at ZeniMax want fair treatment of all individuals and commensurate wages. Also, they want opportunities for advancement within the company plus accountability and transparency, and a voice in decision-making around scheduling and workload.
If the vote succeeds at the end of the month, ZeniMax Workers United will be the largest video game union in America.
