Organizing Update

Raven Software/Activision Blizzard

After management rejected their request for voluntary recognition, workers at Raven Software, a studio owned by Activision Blizzard, filed a union election petition with the National Labor Relations Board. The Game Workers Alliance (CWA) includes a super majority of workers in the quality assurance division of Raven, the Wisconsin studio that predominantly works on Activision’s popular Call of Duty game series. The workers are the first unit within Activision Blizzard to form a union. Microsoft recently announced plans to acquire the company.

“We are deeply disappointed that Raven Software and Activision Blizzard refused to uplift workers rights by choosing to not voluntarily recognize our union in spite of our supermajority support,” the workers said in a statement. “This was an opportunity for Activision Blizzard to show a real commitment [to] setting new and improved standards for workers…Once again, when management is given a choice, they always seem to take the low road.”

In early December, over 60 Raven Software workers walked out, protesting the company’s unfair and abrupt ending of the contracts of a dozen temporary Raven quality assurance workers. This strike was the third work stoppage since Activision Blizzard was sued in late July over sexual harassment and misconduct claims. In the past, Activision Blizzard has used surveillance and intimidation tactics, including hiring notorious union busters, to silence workers.

###

Genesee Co-Op Federal Credit Union

On Monday, workers at the Genesee Co-Op Federal Credit Union in Rochester, N.Y., won voluntary union recognition. The workers organized as part of the Committee for Better Banks, a CWA project.

###

Justice at Work

Workers at Justice at Work Pennsylvania, a legal aid nonprofit that supports low-wage workers, announced Thursday that they are forming a union and seeking voluntary recognition from management. They would become part of The NewsGuild of Greater Philadelphia (TNG-CWA Local 38010). The union will include paralegals, administrative staff, and attorneys.

###

2022 CWA District 7 Organizing Kickoff

On Saturday, over 80 organizers and activists from across CWA District 7 attended a virtual retreat entitled, “Seizing Momentum Through Our Organizing Power.” The retreat included an organizing panel with 12 workers who are leading organizing efforts across telecom, tech, public, and other sectors. It also included several workshops to help organizers build their skills around digital organizing tools, fighting against anti-union campaigns, internal organizing, and more. The "Democracy, Race, and Labor" workshop featured Bill Fletcher, a renowned activist, labor leader, and author, and Steven Pitts, a labor scholar, activist, and host of Black Work Talk, as special guest speakers. The attendees took the time to reflect on what they learned during the retreat and how they can apply it in their ongoing campaigns.