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"This is a watershed moment for workers in the video game industry."
Image credit: SEGA
According to a recent report made by Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, workers at Sega of America have made history by ratifying a union contract, marking a significant milestone within the industry.
The contract, which covers approximately 150 employees across various departments at the company's Southern California offices, includes provisions such as yearly pay increases, layoff protections, crediting for work on games, and more. The union, known as the Allied Employees Guild Improving Sega (AEGIS), negotiated the terms of the contract to benefit both temporary and full-time workers within the company.
"This is a watershed moment for workers in the video game industry," shared Catalina Brennan-Gatica from the Communications Workers of America.
"One of our most notable items is our grievance process," shared Em Geiger, a Localization Editor at Sega of America, in an interview with Polygon. "There's extra security knowing we have in place a system for bringing issues to the table, such as arguing just cause in a potential layoff. If the company wants to do something that the unit doesn't like, we can grieve it, bargain over it, have our say before anything is finalized."
Sega's contract, which covers provisions like a just-cause policy, benefits, and job security measures, may spark further unionization in the industry as employees witness the impact of labor movements.
The agreement also mandates notice before layoffs and a minimum two-week severance, capped at eight weeks, acknowledging the challenges faced by video game workers, such as recent job losses at Sega and across the industry.
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