Call of Duty's Dev Accuses Microsoft of Refusing to Bargain
Workers at Raven Software accuse the parent companies of bargaining in bad faith.
Activision
A group of workers at Raven Software accuses Activision and Microsoft of "bad faith bargaining."
Raven Software, best known for Call of Duty, is a part of Microsoft-owned Activision. The developer filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board against its parent companies for refusing to bargain, bargaining in bad faith, and changing the terms and conditions of employment. The company also alleged "Concerted Activities (Retaliation, Discharge, Discipline)."
"After Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, our members were optimistic that they would progress quickly to a first contract at Raven Software," Claude Cummings Jr., president of Communications Workers of America, told GameFile. "Unfortunately, that has not happened. We encourage Microsoft to address the concerns raised in the Unfair Labor Practice charge and make reaching a fair agreement a priority." Microsoft, however, said that it is "committed to negotiating in good faith."
Activision
The company's relationship with employees' unions has always been complicated. Back in 2022, Quality assurance workers at Raven Software successfully voted to join the Game Workers Alliance (GWA), becoming the first union at Activision. The union aims to protect employees' rights, including conducting contract negotiations with Activision Blizzard to secure better pay and improved working conditions.
Former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick said the company would recognize the union formed by Raven Software's QA workers and start negotiations with it. However, later in 2022, the National Labor Relations Board found that Activision Blizzard withheld raises from Raven's unionizing workers.
Following Raven Software, another group of QA workers at Blizzard's Albany-based studio formed a union after the parent company's delays. Later, it was reported that Activision Blizzard had refused to recognize the workers' union of its other subsidiary, Proletariat.
Recently, a QA testing company contracted by Microsoft's Activision fired a team of employees because they were trying to unionize.
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