Unionized Microsoft Developers Authorize Strike After Two Years Without Contract Agreement
Game developers at Microsoft's subsidiary ZeniMax Media have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike after two years of stalled negotiations on their first union contract. Members of the ZeniMax Workers United-CWA union (ZWU-CWA), supported by the Communications Workers of America (CWA), approved the measure by a substantial margin of 94%, empowering their leadership to call for a strike if negotiations continue to stall.
In a press release issued Tuesday, the CWA announced the results of the strike authorization vote, underscoring significant worker frustration and indicating potential labor actions if Microsoft does not meet their key demands. According to the announcement, while the authorization does not guarantee an immediate strike, it clearly positions the workers to take decisive action if necessary.
Skylar Hinnat, a Quality Assurance Tester and member of the ZWU-CWA union, stated, "We're not afraid to use our union power to ensure that we can keep making great games." He continued, "All of us want to be working. We hope that Microsoft will allow us to do so with dignity and fairness to all by securing a first contract with our union."
Key Issues Behind the Strike Authorization
The union highlights several critical issues at the heart of their negotiations:
Expansion of remote work options: Workers have emphasized their desire for flexibility, particularly as Microsoft has begun enforcing stricter return-to-office mandates.
Improved compensation: Employees argue that salaries have not kept pace with rising living costs, especially in cities where ZeniMax requires them to live and work.
Workplace improvements: Enhancements to overall working conditions and benefits are a primary demand.
Transparency on outsourcing: Workers insist that Microsoft commit to notifying the union if it plans to outsource quality assurance responsibilities to third-party companies.
Zachary Armstrong, Senior Quality Assurance Tester and union member, highlighted the severity of the situation, explaining, "Underpayment and costly RTO initiatives have caused many of us to put our lives on pause because our income does not match even the rising cost of living in the cities where ZeniMax insists we live and work to maintain employment."
Armstrong added, "None of us wishes it had come to this, but if Microsoft and ZeniMax continue to demonstrate at the bargaining table that they’re unwilling to pay us fair wages for the value our labor provides to our games, we’ll be showing them just how valuable our labor is."
Historic Unionization at Microsoft and Promises Yet Unfulfilled
ZeniMax Workers United-CWA made headlines in early 2023 when it became the first union at a Microsoft-owned game studio and one of the largest unions in the video game industry in the United States.
At that time, Microsoft had signed a labor neutrality agreement with the CWA as part of its campaign to win regulatory approval for its acquisition of Activision Blizzard King. Despite this, union members have expressed frustration that Microsoft appears to have not delivered on many of its commitments regarding union-friendly policies.
"Despite being one of the world’s largest corporations, we’ve had to continuously fight for what should be bare minimum," said Aubrey Litchfield, Quality Assurance Tester at ZeniMax. "Paying your employees a livable wage as a multi-trillion-dollar company is the least they could be doing; however, when addressed at the bargaining table, Microsoft acts as though we’re asking for too much."
She added, "Our in-house contractors have been working on minimal wages with no benefits, including no paid sick time. Workers are choosing not to start families because of the uncertainty of finances. We've released multiple titles while working fully remote. When will enough be enough?"
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