News broke on July 19th that more than 200 employees at Bethesda Game Studios have unionized under the Communication Workers of America (CWA) in what is being hailed as “the first wall-to-wall union at a Microsoft video game studio”, meaning that all positions including “artists, engineers, programmers, and designers” are eligible for union representation (until now, all unions formed consisted of primarily QA workers).
Microsoft has recognized the union according to the CWA who have had a string of success organizing workers at the tech giant among its subsidiaries ZeniMax, Blizzard, and Raven Software.
“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.”
- Mandi Parker, Senior System Designer and CWA member
The video game industry has been tumultuous in recent years between studio closures, acquisitions, and layoffs. This has prompted an explosive campaign as workers organize to secure their jobs while also gaining benefits and better working conditions. The CWA’s Campaign to Organize Digital Employees (CODE-CWA) has been at the center of the upsurge in organizing inside and outside Microsoft. Workers at Bethesda Game Studios will be joining members in CWA Locals 2108 in Maryland and 6215 in Texas respectively.
