activision-tries-to-derail-blizzard-albany-union-vote-on-the-final-minute

With solely about two weeks to go till the Blizzard Albany QA group’s unionisation vote is lastly tallied, Activision Blizzard has intervened to delay it. Eligible workers have been mailed their union ballots on October 27, however Activision has requested the US Nationwide Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to postpone counting the votes till Activision’s enchantment in opposition to an earlier NLRB resolution could be thought of, per a report by GamesIndustry.biz.

The enchantment in query considerations the NLRB’s resolution that the Blizzard Albany QA group might hold its personal union vote. Activision argued that the vote must be held throughout your entire studio as a substitute of simply inside the QA workers, however the NLRB rejected the corporate’s argument. Activision would now just like the NLRB to take one other have a look at the choice, and to postpone the tally of the QA group vote whereas it does it.

In essence, Activision’s argument all alongside has been that the QA group is just too small to qualify as an unbiased bargaining unit inside the firm, and that votes ought to as a substitute proceed alongside studio-wide traces. The NLRB’s response in October was that QA testers earn considerably decrease pay than different members of the studio—about $42,000 in comparison with a variety of $56,000-$175,000—making them a definite group. As labour consultants have identified, increasing the voting pool like that will have the doubtless impact of diluting the general enthusiasm for unionisation amongst eligible workers. A handy side-effect in case you’re an organization making an attempt to thwart a union push.

Activision says that continuing with the tally might find yourself prejudicing a later, studio-wide vote that must occur if the NLRB accepted its enchantment. An Activision spokesperson instructed GI that, whereas the corporate “deeply respect[s]” the rights of its workers to type unions, it additionally believes “strongly that every of the 107 eligible workers deserves to have their votes counted,” reasonably than simply the QA workers.

The response from the Communication Staff of America (CWA)—the union that Blizzard Albany staffers are working with—was fiery. In one other assertion to GI, the CWA mentioned that “it is no shock that an organization that has repeatedly tried to silence its workers, together with by hiding stories of sexual violence, would need to muzzle staff’ voices as soon as once more.” The CWA assertion continues by saying that Activision executives “really feel threatened” by the unionisation push throughout the nation, and that the CWA is “assured within the NLRB’s response to those frivolous requests.”

It is unclear when the NLRB will reply to Activision’s enchantment, however it is going to need to be quickly. The tally is scheduled to happen on November 18, which does not depart a lot room for anybody to manoeuvre at this level. If the NLRB’s earlier choices are something to go by, the union may need the higher hand right here. The board has already mentioned as soon as that the QA group qualifies as a bargaining unit, and located in October that Activision had withheld raises from unionising workers as an act of “retaliation.” Activision’s last-minute enchantment has the air of a hail Mary about it.