Sep 10, 2026 - CWA Members at Blizzard Ratify Historic Contract

Yesterday, Blizzard Entertainment workers, represented by CWA, voted to ratify historic union contracts with the Microsoft-owned company, securing an unprecedented victory for the video game industry.

After two years of bargaining, nearly 1,900 video game workers have won a breakthrough first contract, whose terms will now extend to all units across Blizzard’s game teams and shared services, including union-represented workers at World of Warcraft, Quality Assurance, Hearthstone and Warcraft Rumble, Overwatch, Diablo, and Blizzard’s Platform & Technology and Story and Franchise Development units.

The union contracts reinforce several workplace benefits that set industry-wide standards for video game workers in the United States. Alongside wage increases, grievance procedures, a three-day in-office hybrid workweek, “just cause” protections, and remote work and disability accommodations, the contracts now require Blizzard to discuss, evaluate, and bargain over the use of artificial intelligence in the workplace. In an industry first, the new union contracts give workers the right to be “recalled” into open positions across any Blizzard bargaining unit for 14 months from the date of their layoff announcement. Members have also secured an extra four weeks of severance for union workers, regardless of their tenure.

Prior to its acquisition by Microsoft in 2023, Blizzard Entertainment bore a reputation for toxicity, with a highly permissive corporate culture often turning a blind eye to instances of misogyny, homophobia, and racism. Since the purchase, however, the company has seen a stark reversal, rising from the ashes, with positive labor relations playing a central role. This groundbreaking collective bargaining agreement is the latest evidence of this. The new leadership at Blizzard has embraced the spirit of cooperation necessary for positive labor relations.

“I’ve been at Blizzard for 20 years because I love this company and the amazing people I work with. This contract secures a lot of what people already love about working here while adding strong protections around layoffs, job security, and remote work,” said Platform & Technology bargaining committee member and Principal Software Engineer Daniel Weltz. “Blizzard helped shape the gaming industry, and I’m proud that this contract allows us to continue setting new standards for this work.”

Click here to read the full press release for this historic win.

Congratulations to all of the video game developers on their victory!

After four years of struggle, members of the NewsGuild of New York (TNG-CWA Local 31003) working at Forbes Magazine announced last week the ratification of their first contract. The three-year deal establishes strong editorial integrity protections, sets a new $68.5K salary floor, includes industry-leading job security protections, and more. Forbes Union represents close to 90 reporters and photo and video editors.

“We refused to accept any deal that didn’t honor the value we bring every day to Forbes,” said Andrea Murphy, unit chair and statistics editor for Forbes. “This contract is the direct result of our union’s perseverance and solidarity.”

Members staged multiple collective actions—including two work stoppages—to win this first contract.

Click here to learn more about this stellar contract.

Denver Public Library Workers United (DPLWU-CWA) announced a sweeping victory last week, with workers voting 96% in favor of joining CWA Local 7799. The newly recognized union represents a wall-to-wall group of 575 public library workers. It is the first large group to gain recognition under Denver’s city and county collective bargaining law.

Using the “direct join” process, a group of public library workers formed DPLWU in 2021. These workers, along with many other CWA members in Denver, led the fight to win municipal collective bargaining at the ballot box in 2024. With the successful union election, the members of DPLWU made CWA history as the first public sector direct join union to secure full collective bargaining rights—including strike rights—and win a representation election.

CWA Local 7799 President Jade Kelly stated, “Our bargaining committee is elected and ready to turn this landslide union victory into a historic contract, a meaningful seat at the table, and the strong public library that Denver deserves.”

Congratulations to members of Denver Public Library Workers United-CWA!

 
Members of Denver Public Library Workers United-CWA celebrated a landslide victory in their vote to join CWA Local 7799.

In August, journalists at the Centre Daily Times (State College, Pa.) ratified their first union contract. The news outlet is owned by McClatchy, a media and publishing company headquartered in Sacramento, Calif. The workers are represented by the NewsGuild of Greater Philadelphia (TNG-CWA Local 38010).

Earlier this year, several workers began discussing the prospect of forming a union after McClatchy rolled out an artificial intelligence (AI) “tool” that published AI-generated articles under the bylines of journalists. Other represented shops protested the abuse of their professional reputations and the misuse of generative AI. Within a week of initial conversations, the entire staff was on board and contacted the NewsGuild of Greater Philadelphia’s Executive Director Bill Ross. Every worker signed a union authorization card, showing unanimous support to form a union.

The Centre Daily Times’ union was officially recognized in June, and bargaining began in July. The contract was formally ratified in August. Despite the speed of execution, members managed to win significant wage increases and protections from the abuse of AI.

“This all came together quickly, but it was still well thought out,” added Jon Sauber, a sports reporter at the outlet for seven years. “We were able to lean on both the PhillyGuild and our colleagues at other McClatchy properties that have done this before us. Without that critical assistance, we likely wouldn’t even be halfway finished right now.”

Congratulations to the speedy news crew at the Centre Daily Times!

On Tuesday, Frontier Flight Attendants, represented by AFA-CWA, held their “Claws Out, Contract Now!” picket outside Frontier Airlines headquarters. Joined by AFA-CWA International Vice President Keturah Johnson and AFA-CWA International Secretary Treasurer Dante Harris, members convened to send a strong message to Frontier management that they refuse to be undervalued. Contract negotiations slowed significantly after Frontier representatives summarily rejected a proposal by the union for boarding pay. This action comes after months of management walking back proposals and issuing unacceptable responses.

Frontier Flight Attendants are ready to bargain in good faith and are calling on Frontier to do the same.

Amplify their fight on social media by sharing this post.

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