600 Activision QA Workers Vote To Form Largest US Video Game Worker Union Yet

Around 600 quality assurance (QA) workers employed by Activision under Microsoft Corp. MSFT have successfully formed a union named Activision Quality Assurance United (AQAU) with the support of the Communications Workers of America (CWA).

This marks the first unionization effort within Activision since its acquisition by Microsoft and stands as the largest video game worker union in the United States, IGN reported.

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The union comprises central QA workers from Activision offices located in Texas, Minnesota, and California, distinct from other recent QA unions formed under Microsoft.

The formation of AQAU was facilitated by a CWA-Microsoft neutrality agreement established in 2022, ensuring Microsoft's commitment to a neutral stance on unionization efforts and offering a streamlined process for workers to join a union. This agreement is unprecedented for a tech company of Microsoft's scale.

"We encountered no union-busting at a time when most US companies - especially tech companies — regularly spend millions on anti-union consultants to prevent workers from speaking up for themselves," stated Tom Shelley, a technical requirements specialist at Activision and AQAU member. "We hope this will inspire other workers to form unions and raise industry-wide expectations for pay, benefits, and respect for workers' rights."

AQAU aims to negotiate a new contract with Microsoft, focusing on improving pay, benefits, promotional opportunities, and establishing clearer career development paths.

Currently, Zenimax QA workers are in the process of bargaining their first contract with the company, which has already resulted in agreements regarding subcontracting and artificial intelligence.

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