Former Nintendo employee says they were fired for union activity

Illustrations by Alex Castro / The Verge

Nintendo is the latest video game developer to be accused of union busting. According to a report from Axios, a former employee alleges that Nintendo and its staffing and recruiting partner fired them after engaging in protected organizing activities.

There are charges against Nintendo in a filing with the National Labor Relations Board.

• Engaging in surveillance or creating the impression of surveillance of employees’ union activities
• Discharging an employee for engaging in protected activities such as discussing wages and other terms and conditions of employment
• Discharging an employee because they joined or supported labor organization

Nintendo isn't the only video game company that is fighting the labor board. Quality assurance employees at Raven Software formed a union and are waiting for a vote from the National Labor Relations Board. After sending emails asking employees to consider the consequences of signing union cards and giving raises to everyone except those at Raven who are working toward unionization, the company has been accused multiple times of union busting.

Outside of gaming, companies are starting to give raises to employees in order to stem the tide of unionization. The minimum wage at a store in Seattle voted to unionize, which led to a raise in the minimum wage at a company.

The National Labor Relations Board will decide if Nintendo is guilty of labor violations.