Activision Blizzard, in Reversal, Will Recognize Union Representing Raven Software Employees
variety.comTodd Spangler NY Digital EditorGame giant Activision Blizzard said Friday it will commence talks with Communications Workers of America union representatives to negotiate a contract on behalf of 27 quality-assurance employees at Raven Software.On May 23, the QA team at Wisconsin-based development studio Raven Software successfully formed a CWA-affiliated union called the Game Workers Alliance.
The union said at the time, “We look forward to working with management to positively shape our working conditions and the future of Activision Blizzard through a strong union contract.”On Friday, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick wrote in a memo to U.S.
employees, “With the [Raven Software union] election having concluded, we will engage in good-faith negotiations to enter into a collective bargaining agreement.” Activision Blizzard had refused to voluntarily recognize the Raven Software union.
Last month, after the employees voted to unionize, company rep had said in a statement, “We believe that an important decision that will impact the entire Raven Software studio of roughly 350 people should not be made by 19 Raven employees,” referring to the number of staffers who voted to unionize.The reversal comes after Microsoft made a $69 billion bid for Activision Blizzard in January.
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