Microsoft confirms unionization of employees at ZeniMax, which operated under the ZeniMax Workers United label, making the tech giant the second AAA gaming company to confirm unionization of its employees .
Things are moving slowly with Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, but ZeniMax Online QA developer unions, ZeniMax Workers United, and ZeniMax Online Studios are backing one of them. The best Xbox MMO game The Elder Scrolls Online.
Majority of ZeniMax QA Developers Vote to Form ZeniMax Workers Union
As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, Microsoft endorsed the ZeniMax Workers United union, which is backed by an “overwhelming majority” of about 300 QA developers. Developers voted for unionization via union authorization cards or through an online portal. Alongside Activision Blizzard, the ZeniMax union made Microsoft his second to join the union as his AAA game publisher.
“Microsoft has lived up to its commitments to workers and allowed them to decide if they want a union,” said Chris Shelton, president of Communications Workers of America. “Other video game and technology giants have made a conscious choice to attack, undermine and demoralize their employees as they band together and form unions. Microsoft is planning another course to strengthen its corporate culture and ability to serve its customers, which should serve as a model for the industry and a blueprint for regulators.”
Victoria Banos, Senior QA Audio Tester at Zenimax Online Studios, said: “We want to put an end to the sudden plight, unfair wages and lack of growth opportunities within the company. It promotes better communication between people, a clear path for those who want to progress in their careers, and so on.”
Last year, Microsoft adopted a set of new policies to make it easier for employees to make informed decisions about union formation. The move follows the company’s “Labor Neutrality Agreement” with the CWA, which confirms that Microsoft will remain neutral to the unionization of Activision Blizzard employees. In return, the CWA will support regulatory approval of Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
This could easily be seen as another move by Microsoft to improve its standing with global regulators such as the FTC, which are currently trying to block the deal, but the result remains the same. portfolio.
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