Video Game Developers and Customer Service Workers at Microsoft Form New Unions with CWA

Rockville, Md. – A majority of video game workers across two different departments at Microsoft subsidiary ZeniMax Media—represented by Communications Workers of America (CWA)—have indicated that they wish to join CWA either by signing a union authorization card or voting via an online portal.

CWA Local 2100 will represent ZeniMax workers in the Customer Service/User Research (CS/UR) department, and CWA Local 2108 will represent workers in the Content, Technology & Operations (CTO) department. In accordance with its stated labor principles, Microsoft has recognized both unions.

“It brings us great pride that our group can build on the efforts of our coworkers in QA who have led the organizing charge at ZeniMax. All workers in the video game industry deserve the power to negotiate working conditions,” said Zach Audette, a member of CWA Local 2108 and a lead software engineer at ZeniMax. “Our workers are excited to continue building a sustainable industry, and we encourage video game workers everywhere to join together and fight for the future we deserve.”

“I am overjoyed to be able to partake in a historic push in our industry to ensure that we protect the future of our continued passion of being one of the industry’s leaders in customer support,” said Cameron Miller, a member of CWA Local 2100 and a bilingual customer support lead in ZeniMax’s CS/UR department. “With the ever-changing landscape of the industry, it is important to us to work together to reach further goals and create a better environment not just for our personal interests, but also the interests of our colleagues.”

“We are overjoyed to join the movement our colleagues have started,” said Carly Sullivan, a member of CWA Local 2108 and a producer in ZeniMax’s CTO department. “Our workers are so passionate about bringing our games to the world, and now we are ready to work to protect our rights and fight for our workers’ well-being so we can keep bringing that passion to our games in a safe and equitable workplace.”

“The user research and customer support teams often serve as the voice of the consumer at ZeniMax. My hope for our union is to foster a healthier, more sustainable, and thriving work environment for employees,” said Elisabeth Whyte, a member of CWA Local 2100 and a senior user researcher in ZeniMax’s CS/UR department. “Uniting under this union allows us to safeguard our rights and dignity while we contribute to a better gaming industry for employees and consumers.”

The formation of these two unions came just weeks after over 300 quality assurance workers at Microsoft overwhelmingly voted to ratify their first contract with the tech giant, after two years of negotiations. The collective bargaining agreement sets new standards for the video game industry, including a crediting policy that acknowledges QA workers’ contributions to the games they help create, and also incorporates a previously announced agreement on how artificial intelligence is introduced and implemented into the workplace.

“Video game workers at ZeniMax are joining a growing movement that’s rewriting the rules of what it means to work on video games,” said CWA Local 2108 President Johnny Brown. “We’re thrilled to stand with them as they bring more momentum to fight for better working conditions and a seat at the table here in Maryland and across the industry.”

“We’re proud to welcome these workers into our union family in Maryland. Their decision to form a union builds on the strength of the newly ratified contract at Microsoft and shows that video game workers across the industry, and across job roles, are reclaiming their power,” said CWA Local 2100 President Nick Riddle. “Their voices make our local stronger.”

Earlier this year, CWA launched United Videogame Workers-CWA (UVW-CWA), an industry-wide video game union working to build power irrespective of employer or current job status. Video game workers interested in learning more should visit this webpage to speak with an organizer.

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About CODE-CWA

The Campaign to Organize Digital Employees (CODE-CWA) is a network of worker-organizers and their staff working every single day to build the voice and power necessary to ensure the future of the tech, game, and digital industries in the United States and Canada. CODE-CWA is a project of the Communications Workers of America, which represents hundreds of thousands of workers throughout tech, media, telecom, and other industries who stand together to fight for justice on the job and in our communities.

About CWA

The Communications Workers of America represents working people in telecommunications, customer service, media, airlines, health care, public service and education, manufacturing, tech, and other fields.

cwa-union.org @cwaunion