Major Workers' Union Backs Microsoft Acquisition of Activision Blizzard - News
by William D'Angelo , posted on 30 June 2022 / 2,442 Views
The Communications Workers of America, the largest communications and media labor union in the United States, has sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission in support of Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard following a labor neutrality agreement with Microsoft.
The labor neutrality agreement will go into effect 60 days after the proposed deal to acquire Activision Blizzard closes. Microsoft will remain neutral if employees showed interest in forming a union.
The agreement says employees will be able to "easily exercise their right to communicate with other employees and union representatives about union membership" without effecting day-to-day business and will have a "streamlined" process for joining a union and be able to keep their decisions about a union confidential.
"We now support approval of the transaction before you because Microsoft has entered an agreement with CWA to ensure the workers of Activision Blizzard have a clear path to collective bargaining," said chair Lina Khan.
CWA president Chris Shelton added, "Microsoft’s binding commitments will give employees a seat at the table and ensure that the acquisition of Activision Blizzard benefits the company’s workers and the broader video game labor market."
Microsoft Gaming CEO previously stated, "we absolutely support employees' right to organize and form unions." He said once the deal to acquire Activision Blizzard closes, "we would absolutely support [an] employees' organization that's in place. We think it is a right of employees and something that can be a part of a relationship between a company and people who work at the company."
Thanks, Hollywood Reporter.
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.
More Articles
If it was in Brazil I would be sure that unions approving would be something negative, in USA I'm not sure.
I do not think it is positive either. Nobody cares basically, this is just good PR for the union...
It is good for MS as well, at least imho, when they say they respect the wish of their employees who may want to enter an union.
Good PR for MS and while MS union messaging is positive the previous regimes toxic culture has been the driver here for the need for union representation more so than either the Union or MS.
At the time of writing, you're at +1. I'll downvote you so it doesn't look like you're fibbing.
