Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard does not seem to have changed the company plans regarding its employees. The strike initiated by several Raven Software workers in December was still going on without a response from the company, although now there are news.
One of them is as important as the fact that the strike has ended definitively. One of the reasons for taking this step is due to the creation of the union Game Workers Alliance in conjunction with the Communication Workers of America last Friday, an association that has collaborated at various times during the controversies against the company. Right now, the organization is waiting for the management of Activision Blizzard acknowledge your training.
Pending the recognition of our union, the Raven QA strike has ended. Unused strike funds are being stored for future organizing/strike efforts.
We’ll post or retweet any GWU updates here. Appreciate all the community support throughout the strike!
— ABetterABK 💙 ABK Workers Alliance (@ABetterABK) January 23, 2022
Pending recognition from our union, the Raven QA strike is over. Unused strike funds are stored for future organizing/strike efforts. We will post or retweet any updates from GWU here. We appreciate all the community support during the strike!
The endowment fund was opened after Raven Software’s QA members began long-term furloughs. This measure was announced because 12 part-time workers were fired from the study and staff cuts were still on the horizon for the rest of the employees.
The arrival of Phil Spencer as the highest representative to Activision Blizzard has led to the promise of the manager about offering dignity and respect for employees. On the other hand, Bobby Kotick aims to leave the conglomerate permanently once the purchase is closed in 2023 and Mike Ybarra has listed a number of measures to be taken by Blizzard to improve the existing culture.
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Activision’s response
In a statement to IGN, Activision Blizzard has clarified its position about this whole thing. When the mobilization began, they only lamented the dismissals and staff movements that had taken place.
“Activision Blizzard is carefully reviewing the request for voluntary recognition from the CWA, which seeks to organize around three dozen of the company’s nearly 10,000 employees. While we believe that a direct relationship between the company and its team members provides the best employment opportunities, we deeply respect the rights of all employees under the law to make their own decisions about whether or not to join a union.
At Activision Blizzard, we remain focused on listening carefully to our employees and providing the better pay, benefits, and career opportunities needed to attract and retain the world’s best talent. In the last two years, this has included increasing the minimum compensation for Raven Software QA employees by 41%, expanding paid time off, expanding access to medical benefits for employees and other key members, and making transition of more than 60% of temporary QA staff to full-time employees.”
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