Blizzard Developers Form the 'World of Warcraft Gamemakers Guild' Union

Blizzard Geposted 24.07.2024 um 15:36 von Archimtiros

World of Warcraft Gamemakers Guildreported by Game Developeremployee walkout

CWA, via Game Developer

This victory underscores the growing momentum of worker organizing in the video game industry and will hopefully continue to inspire other video game workers to form unions and raise industry-wide expectations for pay, benefits and respect for workers’ rights.

Kevin Vigue, via Game Developer

By forming a cross-disciplinary union, we seek to enshrine that value and ensure that the developers of World of Warcraft, QA included, will always have a voice in our own workplace. We want to both improve our working conditions and protect the things we love about Blizzard, all so we can feel secure in pouring our talents and passion into making World of Warcraft.

We organized not just for ourselves, but also our fellow employees who make the game with us. By ensuring we're all treated fairly in our own workplace, we can focus ourselves on our shared passion: making great video games.

Our union effort predates the recent layoffs, but witnessing them firsthand only served to solidify how important this effort is for the entire gaming industry. With our union contract, we can have a voice to minimize the impact of future layoffs and ensure we retain talent and knowledge whenever possible.

While the team's voice will determine what we bargain for, we've also had numerous conversations with each other in the past few months. We suspect our top bargaining items will include layoff protections, improved work from home policies, transparency around performance and promotions, and pay adjustments to align with the expensive areas we live.
Activision's 600-member QA unionlabor neutrality agreement with the CWA$68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard

First, Microsoft will take a neutral approach when employees covered by the agreement express interest in joining a union.

Second, covered employees will be able to easily exercise their right to communicate with other employees and union representatives about union membership in a way that encourages information sharing and avoids business disruptions.

Third, employees will have access to an innovative technology-supported and streamlined process for choosing whether to join a union.

Fourth, employees can maintain confidentiality and privacy of that choice if they wish.

Fifth, if a disagreement arises between the CWA and Microsoft under the agreement, the two organizations will work together promptly to reach an agreement and will turn to an expedited arbitration process if they cannot. The agreement does not impact the Activision workforce before the close of the transaction.