Proletariat Workers Alliance withdraw petition; CWA, Activision Blizzard, and Proletariat comment on unionization efforts.
Workers at Proletariat, a Boston-based World of Warcraft support studio, attempted to unionize under the Communications Workers of America (CWA) in late December, but withdrew the application on Tuesday. The union petition was filed to secure the company’s current paid time-off plan, as well as flexible remote options, healthcare benefits, and ensuring transparency and diversity are top priorities. CWA has withdrawn its request for a representation election at Activision Blizzard’s Proletariat studio due to the company’s confrontational tactics.
Activision Blizzard responded to CWA’s withdrawn petition, stating that they welcomed the opportunity for each employee to safely express their preferences through a confidential vote. Dustin Yost, a software engineer at Proletariat, said in a statement issued through CWA that, originally, the majority of workers supported the union, but the company’s confrontational tactics had a negative effect on the support.
Seth Sivak founded Proletariat in 2012, and the studio operated independently until Activision Blizzard acquired the studio in 2022. The Proletariat Workers Alliance disputed that not recognizing the supermajority of signed union cards is anti-union. They stated that the company’s town hall meeting was inappropriate due to its anti-union influence.
The Proletariat Workers Alliance was slated to go to a vote with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) — the same process that both Raven Software and Blizzard Albany’s QA unions went through. Companies sometimes fight to expand the size of a unit to water down union organization efforts, to increase the probability of a union vote failing. However, an NLRB ruling in 2022 made it easier for organizers to unionize smaller groups within a company (called micro-units), which puts the onus on a company to provide overwhelming evidence that a group should be opened up.
Microsoft’s so-called labor neutrality agreement with CWA means that Microsoft will not interfere with organizing efforts at the company — neither with current Microsoft workers, or with workers potentially joining Microsoft as part of its $68.7 billion deal to acquire Activision Blizzard (currently subject to a Federal Trade Commission lawsuit). This agreement was tested late last year when QA workers at ZeniMax Media announced their intention to unionize. Microsoft agreed to recognize the union after a speedy vote outside of the NLRB; the company was able to sidestep a lot of the bureaucracy because of the neutrality agreement.
Workers at Proletariat, a World of Warcraft support studio, attempted to unionize under the Communications Workers of America (CWA) in late December. However, the union petition was withdrawn on Tuesday due to the company’s confrontational tactics. CWA has withdrawn its request for a representation election at Activision Blizzard’s Proletariat studio, and Dustin Yost, a software engineer at Proletariat, said that the company’s confrontational tactics had a negative effect on the support.
The Proletariat Workers Alliance was slated to go to a vote with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) — the same process that both Raven Software and Blizzard Albany’s QA unions went through. Companies sometimes fight to expand the size of a unit to water down union organization efforts, to increase the probability of a union vote failing. However, an NLRB ruling in 2022 made it easier for organizers to unionize smaller groups within a company (called micro-units), which puts the onus on a company to provide overwhelming evidence that a group should be opened up.
Microsoft’s labor neutrality agreement with CWA means that Microsoft will not interfere with organizing efforts at the company. This agreement was tested late last year when QA workers at ZeniMax Media announced their intention to unionize. Microsoft agreed to recognize the union after a speedy vote outside of the NLRB; the company was able to sidestep a lot of the bureaucracy because of the neutrality agreement.
Activision Blizzard’s response to previous unionizing efforts has been in contrast with Microsoft’s labor neutrality agreement. CWA has filed multiple unfair labor complaints against Activision Blizzard for its alleged union-busting tactics; Activision Blizzard representatives have denied any wrongdoing. Workers at Proletariat have stated that they want to do right by their team and collaborate with management without contention. They believe that having a union is the best way for workers in the video game industry to ensure their voices are being heard and to secure better working conditions, higher standards, and a union voice.
News Source