activision-blizzard-union

An attempt to persuade workers has reignited the Activision Blizzard union conversation.

There's still a long way to go before Microsoft Gaming and its apparently union-supporting boss get their hands on Activision Blizzard. Which means there's plenty of time for more drama to unfurl. Cue Activision Blizzard's fourth unfair labour complaint.

Activision Blizzard's alleged attempts to dissuade their workers from unionising (AKA 'union busting') is nothing new. But the latest controversy stemmed from a relatively new face on the scene, Chief Communications Officer Lulu Cheng Meservey, who has now been accused of spreading "anti-union propaganda" to a large number of employees.

Meservey's comments came as QA testers in Blizzard Albany were set to vote on whether to unionise, joining what seems to be a wave of pro-Activision Blizzard union sentiment.

The message in question was sent to over 18,000 Activision Blizzard employees and was shared via screengrab by ex-Activision employee and A Better ABK founder Jessica Gonzalez over Twitter, where you can read the full shebang for yourself. Highlights, however, include suggestions that pay rises will take longer to implement, and that non-unionised workers generally receive larger pay rises than their unionised cohorts.

We'll leave it up to you as to whether the message constitutes 'anti-union propaganda', but it's safe to say that the Communications Workers of America, who represent the Game Workers of America, certainly thought so. Along with a significant swathe of Twitter-based supporters of the ABK workers.

The result is the aforementioned complaint which has now been filed to the National Labor Relations Board. Which could mean even more bad news for Activision Blizzard as they navigate the ever-growing mire that has now grown to include a failed attempt to dismiss the gender discrimination lawsuit that has infamously been leveled against them.

Regardless, the viral Tweet has reignited the conversation surrounding a possible Activision Blizzard union, which may well be the opposite effect that Meservey was hoping for when sending the message over Slack. Particularly now that people can talk freely about the subject, rather than being forced to respond via emojis.