The National Labor Relations Board has ruled that Crow Software’s Quality assurance workers vote on unions.
The NLRB ruled Friday (April 22) that the 21-member team will be able to vote on whether to unionize, Polygon reported.Raven Software parent company Activision Blizzard An attempt to challenge QA workers’ attempts to unionize earlier this year, hoping to get all 230 Raven Software employees to vote.
According to the NLRB, Raven Software QA workers will mail ballots on April 29, and all ballots will be counted nearly a month later, on May 23. If a majority of eligible workers vote yes, the union will enter a blizzard of contract negotiations with Activision.
An Activision Blizzard spokesperson provided Polygon with a statement saying, “While we respect the NLRB process, we are disappointed that less than 10% of our employees have made a move that could have implications for the future of our entire studio. High-impact decisions. We believe that “direct relationships with team members are the best way to achieve personal and company goals. We are reviewing legal options regarding potential appeals. “
On Twitter, the union, called the Game Workers Alliance, thanked those who have supported them so far. “We are proud to announce that the NLRB has ruled our unit is eligible to run!” read the tweet. “Thank you to everyone who has supported our campaign from our initial strike until now! Democracy time!”
Late last year, some Activision Blizzard employees rallied with Raven Software employees due to multiple layoffs at the studio. Since then, early this year, Raven Software QA employees announced their intention to unionize, which, if successful, would be the first union for a major U.S. video game studio.
We are proud to announce that the NLRB has ruled our unit is eligible to run! Thank you to everyone who has supported our campaign from our initial strike until now! It’s time for democracy! 💙 #WeAreRaven
#WeAreGWA— Game Workers Alliance 💙 #WeAreGWA (@WeAreGWA) April 22, 2022