The Communications Workers of America has filed Unfair Labor Practice charges against Lionbridge, a supplier for Microsoft
Charges of Unfair Labor Practices have been filed against Lionbridge Technologies by the Communications Workers of America (CWA), implicated in quality assurance work for Microsoft on Activision projects.
The CWA lodged a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), alleging that Lionbridge dismissed its Boise, Idaho team following collective action regarding their work conditions.
According to the filing, Lionbridge had offered severance deals with restrictive confidentiality provisions, which allegedly required employees to relinquish rights protected under the National Labor Relations Act.
The worker layoffs were purportedly explained as the conclusion of a project, yet teams in Mexico and Poland remained unaffected, per the CWA's statements.
Further accusations from the CWA cited historic union busting by Lionbridge, including a 2016 instance where all unionized staff in Bellevue, Washington were terminated shortly after a labor contract was signed by a group of temporary employees.
In a 2022 agreement, Microsoft and CWA committed to labor neutrality, ensuring the protection of employees' unionizing rights and communication with colleagues.
The CWA anticipates that Microsoft will extend this agreement to its contractors as well.
Former Lionbridge test associate, Al Bussabarger, commented on the charges: "We raised our issues with management and coordinated with colleagues to enhance our work environment. In response, Lionbridge laid off our entire team, which infringes on our rights as workers.
"We perform similar roles to our union-represented Activision QA peers. Microsoft should guarantee respectful treatment for all, including its contractors’ employees, in adherence to its labor standards."
In 2023, Microsoft reaffirmed it would uphold its labor neutrality agreement with the CWA following the acquisition of Activision. Recently, the CWA announced that ZeniMax employees were included under this agreement.
GamesIndustry.biz has contacted Activision for their response.
