Activision Blizzard recognizes Raven QA testers’ union, pledges to begin “good faith negotiations”

A few weeks after a group of testers at Raven Software voted to form a union, it was officially recognized by Activision Blizzard. The company’s CEO Bobby Kotick has also promised to begin negotiations with the Communications Workers of America (CWA).

On June 10, Kotick released a message addressed to all US employees, saying that Activision Blizzard will engage “in good faith negotiations to enter into a collective bargaining agreement” with the CWA related to 27 Raven testers who recently decided to unionize.

“While first labor contracts can take some time to complete, we will meet CWA leaders at the bargaining table and work toward an agreement that supports the success of all our employees, that further strengthens our commitment to create the industry’s best, most welcoming and inclusive workplace, and enhances our ability to deliver world class games for our players,” the Activision Blizzard boss noted.

Kotick also said that the company has been trying to improve the work conditions of QA team members for a while, increasing their salaries and moving 1100 contractors to full-time positions.

Despite this statement, there’s been numerous reports about Activision Blizzard’s anti-union practices, with the company urging staff to vote against unionization and restricting employees’ rights.

Raven testers decided to form a union last December after Activision Blizzard laid off a third of the team. This resulted in walkouts at the company and led to employees eventually forming the first recognized union at a US-listed game company.