600 Employees From Microsoft's Activision QA Unite To Form Biggest Video Game Union In US

As most QA positions are typically entry-level, the industry has garnered a reputation for undervaluing these roles, highlighting the necessity for labour protections.

Around 600 employees working in Activision Publishing's quality assurance department have successfully formed a union, named Activision Quality Assurance United – CWA. The vote, assisted by the Communications Workers of America, was concluded, and the results were certified on Friday, March 8th. This development marks the latest union emerging from Microsoft's gaming division and stands as the largest video game union in the United States.

In 2022, Microsoft established a labour neutrality agreement with the CWA, which streamlines the unionisation process not only at Microsoft but also at its subsidiaries, including Activision Blizzard.

Tom Shelley, one of the organisers for Activision Quality Assurance United and a technical requirements specialist, shared in an interview with The Verge that the labour neutrality agreement and Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard in the previous year significantly facilitated their efforts to achieve unionisation goals.

The Verge quoted Shelley as saying, “This has been an emergent effort that’s arisen in the last few weeks in response to the opportunities we’ve had to freely organise following the merger. As QA workers, we often have the weakest protections and lowest pay of any workers in the industry — even though our work is integral to the success of the companies we work for and the titles we make.”

Within quality assurance, employees undertake the crucial task of testing games to identify bugs and other issues, subsequently flagging them for resolution by other developers. As most QA positions are typically entry-level, the industry has garnered a reputation for undervaluing these roles, highlighting the necessity for labour protections.

Tom Shelley commended Microsoft for voluntarily acknowledging the union and expressed hope that it would serve as inspiration for further organising efforts within the company and beyond.

How Microsoft's Decision To Recognise Unions Benefited Labours

In the preceding year, Microsoft voluntarily recognised a union comprising 300 QA workers at ZeniMax Online. This union joined the existing unions at Blizzard Albany and Raven Software. The momentum for video game labor unions is growing, despite challenges posed by widespread layoffs.

In 2023, the CWA filed an unfair labour complaint against Sega, alleging that the company was planning to "phase out" temporary employees associated with the Aegis union formed the previous year. When Sega eventually carried out layoffs, Aegis asserted that union negotiations played a crucial role in preserving several jobs.