CWA

Microsoft has agreed to union contract language regarding its use of artificial intelligence, which should give workers a voice when challenging how the technology’s deployed, This is the first US instance of collective bargaining in Microsoft’s history and could be a huge step for those employed with the tech giant.This came to pass as part of negotiations with the Communications Workers of America (CWA) union and involves contract language that covers a few hundred staffers at which includes well-known subsidiaries…

Game studios and publishers have collectively laid off an estimated 9,000-plus workers this year. Microsoft (which itself has from Xbox teams in 2023) is bucking the trend to a certain extent by hiring dozens of ZeniMax quality assurance contractors as unionized employees.The company agreed at the beginning of this year to a union representing around 300 QA workers at ZeniMax Media, the parent company of Bethesda that Microsoft bought in 2021. As part of bargaining talks that have been ongoing since April, Microsoft has…

, the eBay-owned trading card marketplace, is facing its fourth unfair labor charge in the space of two months. The Communications Workers of America () claimed that, one business day after TCGplayer employees last Friday, the company fired a worker for engaging in union activity. The CWA called the firing of worker Iris St. Lucy “retaliatory” in the wake of the election. The union claims that TCGplayer “management has escalated its anti-union war against workers” as a result of the vote. All non-supervisory workers at…

Image: Courtesy of TCGunionAs the first subsidiary of eBay to unionize, TCGplayer—a site where collectors can buy and sell any number of collectible cards used in games like Yu-Gi-Oh, Magic: The Gathering, and Pokémon—knew that it was going to face opposition from management. Now, only a week after its successful supermajority vote to unionize with the Communications Workers of America (CWA), the union has filed several unfair labor practice charges against eBay itself.The CWA alleges that eBay held illegal captive…

Microsoft's Activision Blizzard (source: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)"Call of Duty" maker Activision Blizzard Inc has been accused by a union of illegally firing two video game testers for using "strong language" in a protest of a new company policy that limits remote work. The Communication Workers of America (CWA) said it filed a complaint with the U.S. National Labor Relations Board on Tuesday seeking to have the workers reinstated. The case is the latest the union has brought to the labour board as part of a campaign…

The CWA claims two workers were fired in retaliation for speaking out The Communication Workers of America (CWA) has filed charges against Activision, claiming the publisher violated workplace laws in its firing of two QA employees. According to Kotaku, the dispute relates to Activision Blizzard’s push to bring workers back into the office, which has been met with resistance. Two QA testers allegedly expressed outrage using “strong language,” and disciplinary meetings were set up where both workers were fired. The CWA…

Major video game labor union Communication Workers of America urged the European Commission to approve the pending Microsoft-Activision merger. Representatives of the union sent a letter to the executive vice president of the European Commission Margrethe Vestager, ahead of the commission's closed-door meeting concerning the merger in Brussels.The letter argued that the merger will have positive effects on labor organization within the industry. Accusations of a sexist and racist culture at Activision…

The Communications Workers of America () has filed an unfair labor practice charge against -owned TCGplayer on behalf of workers at the trading card marketplace. The organization says TCGplayer supervisors and managers, including founder and CEO Chedy Hampson, illegally surveilled union activity in recent weeks. Workers at TCGplayer and this week, a supermajority for a union representation election. If they're successful, they'll form TCG Union/CWA, which will be the first union within eBay. Within the past two weeks,…

Communications and media union Communications Workers Of America (CWA) has offered support for Microsoft‘s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, claiming Microsoft’s recent commitments will give employees at the company “a seat at the table”. Yesterday (June 30), the CWA sent a letter to the FTC stating that it supports the acquisition “because Microsoft has entered an agreement with CWA to ensure the workers of Activision Blizzard have a clear path to collective bargaining”. “On the basis of CWA’s agreement with…

Microsoft and the Communications Workers of America said on Monday they have entered into a labour neutrality agreement, allowing employees to "freely and fairly" make choice about union representation.The agreement will apply at Activision Blizzard beginning 60 days after Microsoft's acquisition closes, they said."This agreement provides a pathway for Activision Blizzard workers to exercise their democratic rights to organize and collectively bargain after the close of the Microsoft acquisition and establishes a high…