All articles tagged with #cwa
CWA union members protested outside the Bethesda office during Xbox CEO Asha Sharma’s visit, using a giant inflatable rat and red flags to highlight layoffs. The protest accompanies Microsoft’s plan to cut about 3,200 gaming division jobs, marking the fifth round of layoffs in three years, with more rallies and legal action against the company planned in the US and Canada.
The Communications Workers of America backs Xbox staff amid looming layoffs at Microsoft’s gaming division, arguing leadership has the money but is choosing where it goes and that workers aren’t disposable, while Xbox says it is negotiating in good faith with the union and has a history of bargaining with labor groups.
At a June 29 press conference, the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and over 3,500 Xbox workers across studios shared experiences and called for real layoff protections—advance notice, hiring freezes to prioritize internal transfers, and fair severance—as reports of mass layoffs loom. The event highlighted ongoing union organizing within Microsoft’s Xbox division and a commitment to bargaining with leadership if more cuts are announced, signaling that workers will not be treated as disposable even as the company pursues AI investments and a broader strategic reset.
Workers at Double Fine Productions filed a petition with the NLRB and seek voluntary recognition from Microsoft to form a union with the Communications Workers of America, representing 42 employees; this expands union activity within Microsoft's gaming division, and follows a broader wave of organizing across studios tied to the company.
Double Fine Productions is forming a union with the Communications Workers of America for its 42 regular employees, filing an NLRB petition for voluntary recognition and signaling ongoing labor organizing within Microsoft's game studios.
Indie studio Heart Machine has voluntarily recognised a 13-person bargaining unit formed by staff, represented by the Communications Workers of America (CWA). The move follows several rounds of layoffs and signals the studio’s intention to negotiate a first contract to protect workers, reflecting growing union activity in the games industry.
Over 100 employees from Blizzard's Hearthstone and Warcraft Rumble teams have voted to unionize with the Communications Workers of America, joining a growing movement of nearly 3,000 Microsoft-owned studio workers seeking better protections and conditions.
Over 450 Blizzard Diablo developers voted to unionize under the CWA following mass layoffs, aiming to improve job security and industry conditions amid a climate of uncertainty and instability, with Microsoft recognizing the union.
Over 450 game developers working on Diablo at Blizzard Entertainment voted to unionize under the CWA, driven by concerns over layoffs and job security, marking a significant step in industry-wide labor organization efforts in California.
600 Activision QA workers have formed the largest union in the American gaming industry, organized through the Communications Workers of America (CWA) following Microsoft's labor neutrality agreement with CWA. This successful union effort comes after Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard and the subsequent layoffs of 1,900 employees. The move is seen as a victory for union organizing in the industry and a strategic move by Microsoft, as union protections are considered effective against mass layoffs.
The Communications Workers of America (CWA) initially claimed that none of its members were affected by the recent Microsoft and Activision Blizzard layoffs, but former Blizzard Entertainment VFX artist Rachel Quitevis, a CWA union member, refuted this statement, highlighting the impact on union members. The CWA continues to advocate for unionization in the game industry, emphasizing the need for workers to organize and influence redundancy practices. Despite the CWA's initial opposition to the Microsoft-Activision Blizzard merger, it eventually supported the move after entering into a labor neutrality agreement with Microsoft. The union encourages game developers to consider unionization to establish greater transparency and layoff protections.