Activision Blizzard itself has yet to acknowledge an attempt of a union formation.
Microsoft will respect agreements should Activision Blizzard recognise recent attempts inside the company to form a union, it has told The Washington Post.
“Microsoft respects Activision Blizzard employees’ right to choose whether to be represented by a labor organization and we will honor those decisions,” its corporate VP and general counsel, Lisa Tanzi, told the publication.
Employess at Activision Blizzard’s Raven Software have signed up with the Communicaitons Workers of America to start the publisher’s first union, though Activision Blizzard itself has yet to acknowledge the agreement. Activision Blizzard has also hired a law firm called Reed Smith to represent it, a firm known for previous union busting endeavours.
Back in January of this year, Microsoft announced plans to acquire Activision Blizzard for $67.8 billion USD. The acquisition isn’t expected to close until next year.
The Raven employees have also signed a recent letter asking for Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella to step in and encourage Activision Blizzard to voluntarily their union ahead of Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
Things haven’t been looking so good for Activision Blizzard of late; last week, a new lawsuit was filed with further allegations of sexual harrassment and sexism at the company. Back in September of last year, The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed a complaint against the company following allegations of sexual harrassment that surfaced earlier in the year. Its filing follows a similar investigation by the Californian Department of Fair Employment and Housing back in July 2021.
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