The Communications Workers of America (CWA), the largest communications and media labor union in the U.S., has filed Unfair Labour Practice charges against Lionbridge Technologies, a supplier for Microsoft Corp. MSFT.

According to the CWA press release, Lionbridge laid off an entire Idaho-based team of 160 QA testers for Activision following their involvement in union-related activities.

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

The CWA stated Lionbridge offered the laid-off workers severance packages that required them to “overly broad confidentiality terms and to waive rights protected under the National Labor Relations Act.” The CWA highlighted the U.S. National Labor Relations Board has ruled this practice unlawful.

The workers were reportedly told their termination was due to the project ending. However, the CWA pointed out employees in Mexico and Poland on the same project remained employed, suggesting the layoffs were not genuinely project-related. “Those in Mexico and Poland ‘continue to work’,” despite the Idaho team being told otherwise, CWA noted.

Microsoft’s Promise vs. Reality: Labor Standards Revealed

This is not the first accusation of “union-busting” against Lionbridge, Eurogamer reported.

In 2016, the company laid off union members in Bellevue, Washington, shortly after they finalized a collective bargaining contract. “That unit also provided subcontracted labor to Microsoft,” the CWA stated.

The CWA is now calling on Microsoft to ensure its contractors, such as Lionbridge, adhere to the same labor standards Microsoft established for itself.

Two years ago, Microsoft signed a labor neutrality agreement with the CWA, set to activate 60 days after its acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Recently, this agreement was extended to cover workers at ZeniMax Media Inc.

The CWA added: “Microsoft should hold its contractors to the same standards the company has set for itself.”

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