The number of unionized workers for Microsoft's video game subsidiaries continues to grow, with the latest group to join the ranks being the largest so far. Around 600 quality assurance workers at Activision have joined the Communications Workers of America (CWA), making them the largest certified union in the U.S. video game industry. They are also the first Activision workers to organize under the agreement between Microsoft and CWA. As a reminder, Microsoft agreed to respect the rights of Activision Blizzard workers to unionize as part of its efforts to obtain regulatory approval for its $68.7 billion takeover of the video game developer.
CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. stated that Microsoft had promised to allow workers to decide for themselves whether they wanted to unionize. As part of Microsoft's promise when it agreed to contract with CWA, the company committed to taking a neutral approach during the unionization campaign, stating that it did not interfere or influence people's votes.
Another component of their agreement was granting workers access to a "technologically supported innovative process for choosing whether to join a union," which included no need to appeal to the National Labor Relations Board for elections. In this case, workers only needed to sign a union authorization card or vote online. According to The New York Times, 390 workers voted in favor of unionization, while eight opposed it. Approximately 200 others did not vote.
In early 2023, Microsoft also recognized a union with 300 workers for Zenimax, the owner of Bethesda, and another subsidiary of the company for video games, which was the largest in the video game industry at the time. These workers also joined through the simpler process enabled by the company's agreement with CWA. By the end of the year, Microsoft agreed to employ 77 temporary QA contractors as full-time unionized Zenimax workers, a welcome victory for workers in an industry affected by layoffs.
