ABK Workers Alliance (ABK standing for "Activision-Blizzard-King") is a group of organized workers from video game company Activision Blizzard. Formed in response to a July 2021 state lawsuit against the company for harassment and discriminatory work practices, the worker advocacy group A Better ABK organized walkouts and demonstrations against the company's policy and practices. The quality assurance workers of subsidiary Raven Software went on strike in December after part of the team was fired. The striking workers announced their union as the Game Workers Alliance in late January 2022 and offered to end the strike pending their union's recognition.

Background

Main article: California Department of Fair Employment and Housing v. Activision Blizzard

California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing sued Activision Blizzard in July 2021 with claims of having fostered a toxic "frat boy" work culture in which women were routinely subject to harassment and discrimination. The company's dismissive response upset employees, who sought to see the company's workplace issues addressed. Activision Blizzard, worth $65 billion,[1] employs about 10,000 people.[2] A Better ABK, a worker advocacy group, formed in response to the allegations to push for company change.[3]

History

A Better ABK organized two walkouts at Blizzard Activision in 2021 in response to the sexual harassment case against the company.[4] In July, the group organized a "Walkout for Equality" for specific internal policy changes on topics including arbitration, diversity, and recruitment. Another walkout in November followed a Wall Street Journal report that CEO Bobby Kotick had known and not acted on harassment and abuse claims. Over 100 employees demonstrated outside Blizzard's headquarters[5][6] and 1,700 workers signed a petition for Kotick's resignation.[7]

During the same period, the ABK Workers Alliance took several public actions. The group listed four demands: ending forced arbitration, more inclusive hiring protocol, increased compensation policy transparency, and an audit of the company's internal policies by a neutral third party.[8] The Alliance objected to Kotick's choice of legal counsel to audit the company's workplace[9] and in September, filed a unfair labor practice suit with the National Labor Relations Board for what the group described as intimidation and coersion to prevent their discussion of wage disparity and forced arbitration policy.[10] As part of a series of changes announced in response to the sexual harassment lawsuit, the company agreed to waive forced arbitration in cases about sexual harassment and discrimination.[11] Their demand met, the alliance celebrated.[12] In the time after the Wall Street Journal report on the CEO, one of the Alliance's main organizers, senior test analyst Jessica Gonzalez, left the company for personal reasons.[13]

In early December 2021, a subsidiary of Activision Blizzard based in Wisconsin that supports the Call of Duty series, Raven Software, fired 12 quality assurance workers—about a third of the team. The employees had just completed a five-week, end-of-year "crunch" overtime period and the team had been promised pay restructuring for higher salaries. The team and other workers walked out in response. Later in the week, a group, as the ABK Workers Alliance, formally announced that the multi-day walkout had become an open-ended strike action, and they were both raising funds for a strike fund and beginning a union drive. Ultimately, 20 quality assurance workers and 60 other staff participated in the strike, from Raven's 300 total. Since the group was not unionized, the strike did not have union protections. Forgoing salaries during the work stoppage, the group's strike fund sought to offset the workers' lost wages.[7][2][4][14] The fund surpassed $350,000 by early January 2022.[15] The Communication Workers of America aided the organizing workers, who began signing union cards.[7]

The quality assurance workers announced their intent to unionize with the Communication Workers of America's CODE-CWA campaign as the Game Workers Alliance in late January 2022. They offered to end the strike, contingent upon the company recognizing the union. The Alliance wants more realistic development timelines, less crunch time, more transparency from management, more career development opportunities, and more empowerment of underrepresented voices.[2][4][14] Activision Blizzard denied their request to voluntarily recognize the union.[16]

During the ABK Workers Alliance's organizing efforts, Microsoft announced that it would be acquiring the company for US$70 billion. The organized workers said that their goals of workplace improvements and securing employee rights remained unchanged.[2]

As Activision Blizzard sought to settle its sexual harassment lawsuit with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the CWA objected on behalf of an employee affected by harassment and retaliation, seeking a fairness hearing.[17]

In May 2022, the Game Workers Alliance announced that they had voted to unionize, having reached a count of 19 – 2 in favor. As a result, the National Labor Relations Board officially recognized the Game Workers Alliance as a union.[18][19]

Following the Raven QA team's successful unionization, the 20-member QA team of Blizzard Albany (formerly known as Vicarious Visions) announced a unionization drive in July 2022 as GWA Albany.[20] The vote passed (14–0), forming the second union at an Activizion Blizzard subsidiary.[21]

References

  1. ^ Browning, Kellen; Isaac, Mike (July 29, 2021). "Activision, Facing Internal Turmoil, Grapples With #MeToo Reckoning". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 30, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d Blake, Vikki (January 18, 2022). "Raven Software ends QA strike action in light of unionisation". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  3. ^ Parrish, Ash (October 28, 2021). "Activision Blizzard ends forced arbitration as CEO takes a massive pay cut". The Verge. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c Orland, Kyle (January 21, 2022). "Members of Activision's Raven Software QA team form a union". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on January 22, 2022. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  5. ^ Orland, Kyle (July 27, 2021). "Activision Blizzard 'Walkout for Equality' to protest management inaction". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on October 21, 2021. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  6. ^ Orland, Kyle (November 16, 2021). "After bombshell report, Activision employees walk out, demand CEO resign". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on January 19, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c Carpenter, Nicole (December 9, 2021). "Activision Blizzard workers group announces strike fund, begins unionization effort". Polygon. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  8. ^ Bailey, Dustin (August 3, 2021). "The ABK Workers Alliance demands change at Activision Blizzard". PCGamesN. Archived from the original on January 6, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  9. ^ Kim, Matt (August 3, 2021). "Activision Blizzard Employees Form Coalition, Reject CEO's Choice of Law Firm". IGN. Archived from the original on August 3, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  10. ^ Parrish, Ash (September 14, 2021). "Activision Blizzard sued again, this time for labor violations". The Verge. Archived from the original on November 11, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  11. ^ Parrish, Ash (October 28, 2021). "Activision Blizzard ends forced arbitration as CEO takes a massive pay cut". The Verge. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  12. ^ Bailey, Dustin (October 28, 2021). "ABK Workers Alliance calls Activision Blizzard changes 'a huge win'". PCGamesN. Archived from the original on January 6, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  13. ^ Farokhmanesh, Megan (November 30, 2021). "Activision Blizzard walkout organizer resigns". Axios. Archived from the original on December 2, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  14. ^ a b Orland, Kyle (December 9, 2021). "Activision Blizzard workers announce open-ended strike and union drive". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  15. ^ Moore, Jared (January 6, 2022). "Activision Blizzard Strike Fund Passes $350,000 as Management Finally Replies". IGN. Archived from the original on January 14, 2022. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  16. ^ Kullgren, Ian (January 26, 2022). "Activision Workers Ask Labor Board for Union Election". Bloomberg Law. Archived from the original on January 27, 2022. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  17. ^ Allsup, Maeve (February 11, 2022). "Activision Bias, Harassment Settlement Challenged by Union". Bloomberg Law. Archived from the original on February 16, 2022. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  18. ^ Wood, Austin (May 23, 2022). "Activision Blizzard employees form first major NA games union, hope to inspire "growing movement of workers"". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on June 14, 2022. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  19. ^ Paul, Kari (May 23, 2022). "Activision Blizzard's Raven Software workers vote to form industry's first union". The Guardian. Archived from the original on June 14, 2022. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  20. ^ "Blizzard QA workers in Albany are organizing Activision's second union". July 19, 2022. Archived from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  21. ^ Carpenter, Nicole (December 2, 2022). "Blizzard Albany becomes second unionized studio at Activision Blizzard". Polygon. Archived from the original on January 26, 2023. Retrieved February 11, 2023.

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