The first union in the gaming industry, formed by Raven Software, is facing challenges negotiating its collective bargaining agreement with Microsoft and Activision Blizzard, as reported by games journalist Stephen Totilo in his Game File newsletter. The union has filed an unfair labor practice complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, alleging that their employer is not bargaining in good faith. The Raven workers, who joined the Communications Workers of America over two years ago, have not made the full complaints public yet. CWA president Claude Cummings Jr. released a statement urging Microsoft to respect the rights of the Raven Software workers’ union efforts. An NLRB investigation showed that Activision Blizzard had withheld raises from Raven’s workers, and the CWA’s complaint accused the game publisher of retaliating against workers trying to unionize.
