ZeniMax Video Game Workers Walk Off the Job in Maryland and Texas

 
ZeniMax Workers United-CWA members in Hunt Valley, Md. (top left); Austin, Texas (top right); Richardson, Texas (bottom left); and Rockville, Md., joined the picket line outside their respective ZeniMax offices.

Earlier this week, hundreds of Maryland and Texas video game workers at Microsoft subsidiary ZeniMax Studios, members of ZeniMax Workers United-CWA, walked off the job in a one-day strike to call out the company for the lack of progress at the bargaining table on a few key issues. Workers cited a lack of remote work options and the company’s replacement of in-house quality assurance work with outsourced labor without notifying the union. In October, CWA filed an unfair labor practice charge against the company.

“What we want to get out of this is job security. We have members who wouldn't be able to return to the office if they were forced to and would have to quit even in a hybrid model,” said ZeniMax Workers United-CWA member and Senior Quality Assurance tester Dylan Burton. “We have huge concerns about the way the company is utilizing outsourcing and how that may impact the safety of our jobs over time. Our employer needs to meet us on these issues, and that’s what we hope comes out of this strike.”

The strike comes on the heels of another action where CWA Members at Microsoft video game subsidiary Activision held rallies in California, Minnesota, and Texas to demand the company provide exceptions to in-office requirements after implementing a return-to-office mandate.

“Hopefully between the ULP and this strike we can convince Microsoft to stop dragging their feet and meet us at the table over our reasonable demands,” said ZeniMax Workers United-CWA member and Senior Quality Assurance tester Juniper Dowell.

In January 2023, ZeniMax Workers United-CWA formed the first video game studio union at Microsoft, representing over 300 quality assurance workers in Maryland and Texas. ZeniMax Studios is a video game production company known for its popular games such as Elder Scrolls, DOOM, Quake Champions, and Fallout.