(*3*)In a press launch, the union shared a number of highlights of the brand new contract, together with a assured 10% wage improve over two years plus further raises by way of advantage and promotions, important restrictions on necessary additional time, layoff protections, expanded incapacity lodging, and extra.
(*3*)“After greater than three years of organizing and bargaining, seeing it lastly repay feels unbelievable,” stated bargaining committee member and QA tester Erin Corridor in an announcement. “From day one, we made it a precedence to incorporate each voice within the room, and the contract we got here out with displays what we’d like—higher pay, actual profession paths, and safety from burnout. It’s a contract that truly values the work QA does. I’m proud of what we completed, and I hope it reveals different sport employees that organizing works—and it’s value it.”
(*3*)Raven Software program’s QA union has had an extended highway to get right here. The inciting incident for its unionization was a spherical of layoffs again in December of 2021 as an element of a studio restructure instituted by then-parent firm Activision Blizzard. The next day, workers walked out to protest the cuts, garnering the help of workers at different Activision Blizzard corporations. Raven Software program continued to strike for weeks earlier than the corporate lastly responded in January, solely to be acquired by Microsoft simply over every week later. By the tip of the month, Raven QA employees had introduced the formation of Activision Blizzard’s very first union. Whereas Activision Blizzard declined to acknowledge the union voluntarily, the group gained its union election the next Might anyway.
(*3*)Since then, a quantity of different teams below Microsoft Xbox have unionized, each inside Activision Blizzard and in different subsidiaries reminiscent of ZeniMax. This previous Might, QA employees at ZeniMax Media reached a contract settlement with the corporate, whereas many others are nonetheless on the bargaining desk.
(*3*)Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You will discover her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Acquired a narrative tip? Ship it to rvalentine@ign.com.