Sega Of America Workers Officially Unionize Following Successful Vote

Sega of America (a subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings Inc - ADR SGAMY officially unionized following a successful vote by more than 200 workers stationed at the company's Irvine and Burbank, California offices.

The worker's demands centered around higher base pay, improved benefits and enhanced career advancement prospect, as per IGN.

See Also: Gaming Industry Workers Unite: A Look At Unionizations Efforts At Activision Blizzard And Other Publishers

The election held on July 10 had 91 workers in favor and 26 workers against unionization under the Allied Employees Guild Improving Sega (AEGIS), represented by the Communications Workers of America. There were also 19 challenged ballots and three void ballots recorded during the election process.

The election involved employees from various departments such as Brand Marketing, Games as a Service, Localization, Marketing, Product Development Ops, Sales, Quality Assurance and others.

A press release issued by the union declared that its victory positioned the AEGIS as the largest multi-department union representing organized workers in the game industry.

This achievement aligned with the recognition granted to the ZeniMax QA workers guild by Microsoft Corp MSFT earlier in January. Notably, employees at Activision Blizzard Inc ATVI have been actively pursuing unionization efforts.

With the unionization process now complete, the next step for Sega of America's workers is to engage in negotiations with the Japanese publishing giant in order to establish a mutually agreeable contract.

"Throughout this process, we have maintained a high level of respect for our employees’ rights. We have provided factual information and answered your questions regarding what changes with a union. Our employees are a critical component of our success," Sega of America said in a letter to employees obtained by IGN.

"While we believe that a direct relationship promotes a supportive environment, responsiveness and a shared commitment, we respect our employees’ rights and maintain our legal commitment to the National Labor Relations Board process," the company added.

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Photo by Jezael Melgoza on Unsplash