Activision Blizzard Has Another Union on Its Hands. Now What?

On October 18th, after the National Labor Relations Board ruled that workers in Albany could vote in a union election, newly instated chief communications officer Lulu Cheng Meservey posted a lengthy message on the company's website. Meservey said that a few employees should not be allowed to decide on the future of the entire Albany-based team.

According to Meservey, labor law forbids companies from giving any pay/bonus/benefit increases without a special arrangement with the union. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, non-union employees get larger pay raises than union-represented groups.

Unionized workers tend to make more money than non-unionized workers. The Bureau reported in 2020 that non-union workers made less than union workers.

The Communications Workers of America filed an unfair labor practice charge against the company in October after Meservey commented.

Employees unionize because of pay discrepancies. Employers would be able to keep unions out of it if they gave more money. People organize around their work conditions. They would like to be treated better. They want control and a voice.

Control can include reasonable schedules, sick leave and a system for promotion. All it takes is new management to make a healthy workplace happen. Mass layoffs, firings, resignations, brutal overtime, and naked concern about the company's future are just some of the things that have happened since Musk took over. Musk has threatened employees with firings over remote work, removed employees who voiced dissent, and is now demanding employees work long hours or leave.

The employer can't change things in a union workplace without talking to the union. That may be the biggest thing the union has to offer.

There are no signs of quiet. It has become a tradition for employees to respond to management announcements with an expression that says "fuck unionize". Organized people are more likely to organize. Strikes and walk outs lead to unions. She says workers are shown what unions can do.

It is proving to be that way at the company. In the past six months, the game industry's efforts to unionize a major studio have come to fruition twice.