Organizing Update

World of Warcraft and Bethesda Game Studios

Video game developers at World of Warcraft and Bethesda Game Studios joined CWA this month, forming the first wall-to-wall units under our neutrality agreement with Microsoft. Over 1,750 video game workers at Microsoft now have union representation with CWA. A group of 60 quality assurance workers at Blizzard Entertainment in Austin, Texas, also joined CWA, and their union has been recognized by Microsoft. Workers at Bethesda Game Studios in Montreal filed for union recognition with the Quebec Labor Relations Board in late June to be represented by CWA Canada.

“What we’ve accomplished at World of Warcraft is just the beginning. My colleagues and I are embarking on a quest to secure better pay, benefits, and job security through a strong union contract. We know that when workers have a protected voice, it’s a win-win for employee standards, the studio, and World of Warcraft fans looking for the best gaming experience,” said Eric Lanham, Test Analyst and member of the World of Warcraft Gamemakers Guild–CWA Local 9510.

“We are so excited to announce our union at Bethesda Game Studio and join the movement sweeping across the video game industry. It is clear that every worker can benefit from bringing democracy into the workplace and securing a protected voice on the job. We’re thrilled to get down to brass tacks and win a fair contract, proving that our unity is a source of real power to positively shape our working conditions, our lives, and the company as a whole,” said Mandi Parker, Senior System Designer and member of CWA Local 2108.

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South Sun Sentinel 

After years of seeing their newsrooms gutted and pay and benefits slashed, 88% of journalists at the South Sun Sentinel voted earlier this month to form a union and join the Newsguild-CWA. They are asking Alden Global Capital, the newspaper’s hedge fund owner, to voluntarily recognize their union.

This is the same team of journalists who provided the nation with Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, which left 17 students and staff dead and many more injured.

In a statement from the journalists, they write, “The union is our way of defending the future of our newsroom—and South Florida’s access to quality local journalism. We must invest in ourselves. With a unified voice, we seek a newsroom that reflects our community with enough journalists to tell its stories.”

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Salt Lake Tribune

Journalists at the Salt Lake Tribune, founded in 1870 in Salt Lake City, Utah, officially notified CEO Lauren Gustus, Tribune management, and the board of directors of their intention to form a union. The Salt Lake News Guild is asking for voluntary recognition but has already filed for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board.

Journalists filed for union membership after new metrics were implemented, tying performance to page views and website analytics.