In response to Activision Blizzard allegedly delaying the recognition of Blizzard Albany’s new employee union for Diablo Immortal, Call of Duty, and World of Warcraft, Diablo 2: Resurrected developer Blizzard Albany has openly decried “hostility” from the publisher.
A new employees’ union there is said to have requested Activision Blizzard’s voluntary recognition in July from testers at Blizzard Albany,
which also worked on Destiny and the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater games. In order to represent testers from the co-developer of the Warzone and Call of Duty series, Raven Software employees successfully decided to establish the Game Workers Alliance. The formation of the GWA was a first for a significant North American game studio.
In its initial response to Blizzard Albany’s union petition, Activision Blizzard said in a statement made public by The Washington Post, “We have the utmost respect for any employee’s legal right to choose for themselves whether or not to join a union.
Our opinion is that the most fruitful relationship is one that exists directly between an employer and its workforce.
The business will formally and publicly respond to the petition by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).”
Activision Blizzard “decides to resist,” according to the Game Workers’ Alliance Albany, a union that was petitioned by Blizzard Albany employees, delaying the new union’s official recognition.
Activision Blizzard management appears to have made the incorrect decision once more by choosing to oppose our union, despite the fact that 95% of us signed union membership cards.
Activision has made a clear and deliberate decision to take away our fundamental labor rights by once again investing hundreds of thousands of dollars in a union-busting outfit instead of following Microsoft’s example and signing a labor neutrality agreement.
This business almost never takes advantage of the chance to start restoring its reputation and demonstrating that it values its workers.
