Frequently Asked Questions!

Social share icons

WHAT IS A UNION?

A union is a group of workers who come together to make decisions about the conditions of our work. Once we form a union on our team, we can bargain with management about wages, work hours, benefits, workplace health and safety, and other work-related issues. The product of that negotiation is a legally binding contract that protects us and our rights. We are our union!

 

WHICH OF OUR MICROSOFT COWORKERS HAVE FORMED UNIONS?

At Microsoft alone, nearly 4,000 of our fellow game workers have already unionized: World of Warcraft, ZeniMax QA, Activision Publishing QA, BGS USA, BGS Montreal, Zenimax Online Services, Activision User Research, Raven QA, Blizzard Austin QA, Blizzard Albany QA, Overwatch, Story & Franchise Development, Team 5, Platform & Technology, Diablo, and most recently, id Software. 

 

WHAT TYPES OF THINGS HAVE WORKERS WON?

Raven QA, Zenimax QA and Blizzard Albany & Austin QA, as the first teams to unionize, have all ratified their first contracts and won significant improvements in their first contracts, including:

  • Wage increases across all titles and levels. For example, ZeniMax QA workers negotiated wage increases ranging from 22-45% over 3 years.
  • Job security and layoff protections — such as just cause, layoff procedures, increased severance, and recall rights — to minimize layoffs and better support workers who are impacted by layoffs.
  • RTO and remote work protections to codify existing policies, such as 3-day hybrid schedule or fully remote.
  • AI protections that center workers. For example, the Zenimax QA contract commits the company to uses of AI that augment human ingenuity and capacities without causing workers harm.

Check out some additional worker wins here.

 

HOW DO I GET INVOLVED?

 

WHY DO WE NEED A UNION?

Workers deserve a say in the decisions that affect our lives, especially in the video game industry. 

We have faced many challenges over the years, such as layoffs, lack of transparency in pay, advancement, or performance metrics; certain roles not being given the same perks and respect as those in other roles; enduring discrimination; and unpredictable, extended periods of overtime.

By organizing a union, we gain the legally protected right to bargain together with our leadership over these issues. We also are building collective power that can apply beyond just a contract. 

Without us, our company doesn’t exist. The success of the entire company depends on us, and that gives us a lot of leverage. That’s why unionized workers have generally better working conditions than non-unionized workers. 

 

HOW DO WE FORM A UNION?

In order for our union to be officially recognized by Microsoft, a majority of our team must indicate support by signing union authorization cards. Microsoft will then open a confidential online portal, and a third party will count the authorization cards, as well as any “yes” portal votes, to verify that a majority of us have chosen union representation and our union rights will be certified.

Once we are certified, we’ll then elect a committee of coworkers to negotiate a contract with management on wages, benefits, and working conditions. We’ll also hold meetings and conduct surveys to determine our priorities. 

At the end of the day, a union is all about creating community amongst our coworkers and using that collective power as a tool to improve working conditions. If you’re interested in learning more about unions and how to organize, check out our trainings!

 

WHAT DOES UNION NEUTRALITY MEAN?

Microsoft has committed to be completely neutral in any union drive and to let workers decide for ourselves, including training supervisors to respect our choice to unionize. 

Microsoft publicly released a statement where they said, “The tech sector itself is addressing a new facet that has long been important to the U.S. economy and American democracy – the right of workers to organize… We are committed to creative and collaborative approaches with unions when employees wish to exercise their rights.”

 

WHAT IF THERE IS A VIOLATION OF NEUTRALITY? 

Nearly 4,000 workers at Microsoft-owned studios have now organized with CWA. If anyone feels like any supervisor is not being neutral, reach out to an organizer. We can reach out to our contacts in management to try to correct any issues. We are confident management is committed to being neutral and taking a high road approach to their labor relations.



WHAT IS CWA? 

The Communications Workers of America (CWA) is a democratic union made up of hundreds of thousands of workers in private and public sector employment. CWA members work in telecommunications, tech, information technology, news media, broadcast, cable television, health care, public service, education, and other fields.

Over the past few years, more than 7,000 tech and game workers have unionized with CWA at major multinational tech companies, tiny startups, small indie game studios, AAA game publishers, non-profits, progressive tech companies, and more.

CWA is a democratic member-run union. All of our leaders are members, elected by their co-workers. Our union is all of us. We will elect a bargaining team, vote on our contracts, and vote for who runs our Local union.

 

WHAT IS AN ORGANIZING COMMITTEE?

We all have to take action to build our union. Signing a card is the first step, but we need people to join us and help us reach more coworkers. This group is called the organizing committee and we do the work of building our union. We want to make sure this group of people organizing our workplace is representative across teams, demographics, tenure, basically everything. The more people in this group, the more powerful and effective we are! Contact an organizer and we’ll get you looped into the committee for your team. 

 

OK, I AM PRO UNION. BUT WHY SHOULD I SHARE THAT WITH MY CO-WORKERS?

Publicly showing your union support shows our bosses the strength of our solidarity. When we are all a part of the effort together, we have more power to demand a better workplace.

 

CAN’T WE GET MORE BY JUST SITTING DOWN AND TALKING INDIVIDUALLY WITH THE BOSS?

Bargaining collectively is the only way to effectively negotiate “big issues” such as health insurance, retirement, overtime, staffing, a living wage for all, and fair working conditions. With a union, gains are guaranteed in a legally binding contract.

 

WILL FORMING A UNION CREATE TENSIONS AT WORK BETWEEN STAFF AND SUPERVISORS?

Most union members find that once a union is established, it is less tense — and less stressful — to approach a supervisor as a member of their union than it was to raise issues as a lone individual.

 

WILL WE HAVE TO STRIKE?

No. The only way we can strike is if we vote to strike. Over 98% of first contracts are bargained successfully without even the threat of a strike. Strikes and other forms of direct action are tools in our toolbelt, but are essentially the last resort when management refuses to negotiate in good faith. 

 

WHEN DO WE START PAYING DUES, AND HOW MUCH ARE THEY?

No one pays dues until we the members vote to ratify our first union contract. Dues are typically 1.3% of our base pay. Members of a Local will sometimes vote to raise dues to increase resources. That means if our paycheck is $1,000, union dues would be $13. 

Unions are entirely run by and funded by members. Dues pay for the organizing, negotiating, training, legal representation and research work of our union. 

 

I’M NOT A U.S. CITIZEN. CAN I JOIN A UNION?

Regardless of immigration status, you have the right to organize, talk about working conditions, and take action. Many Microsoft workers who are immigrants or on visas are leaders on their union organizing campaigns. Immigrant workers sometimes have the most to gain because of the ability to negotiate for job security protections that can protect their ability to stay in this country.