LogIn"It hasn't really hit about how monumental it is. But it feels really good to be a part of."
Image credit: Activision, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2
According to recent reports, approximately 600 QA employees from several Activision Blizzard studios have recently formed Activision Quality Assurance United with the help of the Communications Workers of America (CWA), the largest labor union in the United States.
With so many members, Activision's union is the largest among North American video game developers. Before this, the biggest one was ZeniMax employees, with about 300 people in it.
This is the first union created by an agreement between Microsoft and CWA. The corporation has already voluntarily accepted the association, fulfilling its part of the agreement. It's a known fact that Activision's QA departments are notoriously tough places to work, we've already reported over the years about how employees are constantly overworked and receive minimal pay.
Before the deal with Microsoft, Activision Blizzard actively opposed the creation of unions. For example, in mid-2022, the company did not increase the salaries of QA staff from the Raven studio due to their participation in union activities.
"It's nice to know that everyone's gonna hear about this, and that people can be inspired to form their own unions," said Kara Fannon, Activision QA tester. "I went to a conference and there were some people who were part of Starbucks Workers United. They were talking and I was feeling so inspired. And then I realized, people might feel that way about what we're doing. It hasn't really hit about how monumental it is. But it feels really good to be a part of."
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