Following the NLRB’s findings, Activision Blizzard and Raven Software high quality assurance testers will proceed negotiations round a collective bargaining settlement. If the employees and the corporate can’t agree on phrases, the NLRB might subject a criticism or, within the extra unlikely case that the corporate refuses to settle, the board might prosecute the case earlier than a federal choose.
“It’s a very preliminary win for the union at this point. It gives them a little bit of leverage,” mentioned Wilma Liebman, former chairman of the NLRB beneath former president Barack Obama, who mentioned that unions usually file unfair labor complaints at the side of bargaining efforts. “It’s part of their tactics, you know, hit them wherever they can, to put pressure on the company in order to reach an agreement with them and to stop violating the law.”
An announcement from Activision Blizzard spokesperson Rich George mentioned: “Due to legal obligations under the [National Labor Relations Act] requiring employers not to grant wage increases while an election was pending, we could not institute new pay initiatives at Raven because they would be brand new kinds of compensation changes, which had not been planned beforehand. This rule that employers should not grant these kinds of wage increases has been the law for many years.”
A June labor complaint filed to the NLRB claimed that Activision Blizzard discriminated and retaliated towards present and former high quality assurance testers for his or her union exercise in varied methods, together with shedding 12 high quality assurance testers, reorganizing the studio to take away the standard assurance division, withholding advantages and soliciting grievances. The NLRB additionally discovered that the corporate requested employees to air grievances whereas they have been awaiting a union vote again in May. It remains to be investigating different elements of the criticism.
On Monday night, the Communications Workers of America filed an amended model of the criticism it initially made in June, alleging that the corporate continues to violate labor legal guidelines by conserving the studio reorganized and not using a high quality assurance division. It added that the corporate withheld raises from the Raven employees and introduced the withholding was because of the union exercise.
In May, a gaggle of 28 Raven high quality assurance testers gained its bid for a union on the studio. The employees, who’ve organized because the Game Workers Alliance, informed The Washington Post they hope others within the online game trade comply with go well with. Before the May election win, Activision Blizzard’s president and chief working officer, Daniel Alegre, had tried to fulfill with union bargaining members in Wisconsin. This assembly try was uncovered throughout the NLRB’s testimony course of.
George, the Activision Blizzard spokesperson, informed The Washington Post in an announcement, “This is not an accurate portrayal of events. Although Raven QA was offered a non-mandatory opportunity to meet with Activision Blizzard leadership during an on-site visit, because some of the QA testers had previously requested a discussion with management, at no point was this framed as an opportunity to specifically address grievances. Furthermore, the offer was never taken, and no meeting ever occurred.”
In April, high quality assurance testers at Activision Blizzard exterior of Raven were offered raises that bumped up their pay to $20 per hour. Raven testers didn’t obtain the identical supply, which the NLRB has now discovered to be proof of withholding advantages in retaliation for union exercise. Quality assurance testers at Raven make roughly $27,000 to $69,000, and are among the many lowest paid employees on the studio, based on pay paperwork the corporate shared throughout labor relation hearings in February.
“The company’s anti-union messaging has been disappointingly effective, and I think the bigger victory for us than getting the pay increase would be having Activision admit that what they did was unlawful,” mentioned a present Raven Software worker, talking on the situation of anonymity for worry of retaliation.
George mentioned the corporate appeared ahead to defending its place throughout the NLRB’s litigation course of, and “if necessary” the appeals courtroom course of.
“We just want the company to bargain in good faith, bargain a fair contract, and move past all this cheap and illegal behavior,” mentioned Sara Steffens, Communications Workers of America secretary-treasurer, who’s a part of the union serving to Raven employees set up.
Activision Blizzard is awaiting approval from worldwide regulators of a deal to be acquired by Microsoft for practically $69 billion. The Xbox and Windows maker beforehand mentioned in June it might respect the rights of Activision Blizzard employees to affix a union.