When news of Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard first broke out, one of the biggest questions from employees was whether Microsoft would allow them to unionize. That question has been answered, according to Lisa Tanzi, Microsoft's corporate vice president and general counsel.
In a statement to the Washington Post, Tanzi said Microsoft will "[respect] the right of Activision Blizard employees to choose whether or not to be represented by a workers' organization and honor those decisions."
Earlier this week, the Washington Post reported that 15 workers at Raven Software, a studio owned by Activision Blizzard, sent Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella a letter asking him to encourage Activision Blizzard to recognize their union. This letter comes after Activision Blizzard's QA staff at Raven Software chose not to recognize the union after forming a union called the Game Workers Alliance.
Activision Blizzard said that if the Game Workers Alliance applied to the NLRB, the company would "officially respond to this petition immediately," according to a statement given to PC Gamer. If the majority of Raven Software's QA staff vote to approve the union, Activision Blizzard will have to start negotiating with them.
There are no reports that the Game Workers Alliance has filed for the NLRB yet. The last update to the Game Workers Alliance page is a Q&A in February. Coordinating the union became even more difficult after the company made an organizational change and placed QA workers in various teams across the studio.
Kaynak
Microsoft will not interfere with Activision Blizzard employees who want to unionize!
