Activision Blizzard Employees Proceed Towards Unionization

Twenty-two quality-assurance testers at Activision Blizzard, Inc ATVI studios have voted in favor of unionizing with the Communications Workers of America, the Wall Street Journal reports.
The workers took part in the vote at Middleton, Wisconsin-based Raven, on May 23 amid opposition from Activision management.
The move followed years of complaints about excessive working hours to meet deadlines and fostering cultures that were hostile to women.
Raven helps make Activision’s famous “Call of Duty” franchise.
Tensions with the studio’s employees flared in 2021 when Activision ended contracts with about a dozen quality-assurance workers responsible for testing games for bugs.
More than 60 Raven workers walked out in protest, and later some announced plans to unionize.
Activision, which has about 10,000 employees, argued that the union should have involved more of Raven’s nonmanagement staff.
The new union, called the Game Workers Alliance, could be certified by the National Labor Relations Board next week.
Price Action: ATVI shares traded lower by 0.22% at $77.03 premarket on the last check Tuesday.