A group of employees at Activision Blizzard Inc (NASDAQ:ATVI) have voted to unionise, ahead of Microsoft's US$69bn takeover of the maker of the Call of Duty video game franchise.
In Middleton, Wisconsin, workers at Raven Software's quality assurance department voted 19-3 to join the Communications Workers of America (CWA) union, according to a tally by the US National Labour Relation Board on Monday.
Activision Blizzard, which is based in Santa Monica, California and has around 10,000 employees worldwide, has been undergoing an internal shakeup that led to the unionisation campaign.
It has been under fire from the government and some shareholders, and it recently settled a federal civil rights lawsuit over allegations of workplace harassment and discrimination against women.
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), which agreed a US$69bn takeover in January, said it will not interfere with unionisation efforts.
A union contract with Activision still needs to be negotiated, but the CWA states if Microsoft is successful in its acquisition of Activision, the vote won't need to be recertified.
"We respect and believe in the right of all employees to decide whether or not to support or vote for a union. We believe that an important decision that will impact the entire Raven Software studio of roughly 350 people should not be made by 19 Raven employees," Activision said in a statement following the vote.
Right-to-work states, such as Wisconsin, allow workers to opt out of union membership.
Several employees have circulated a petition calling for the removal of chief executive Bobby Kotick.
"Other workers in the video game industry will be excited and inspired by the success of the Raven Software workers in forming their union. We urge Activision to respect their decision and commit to bargaining a fair contract," said CWA communications director Beth Allen in a statement before the vote.
In the midst of the pandemic, organised labour has seen an increase in interest in the US, igniting historic unionisation movements at companies like Starbucks, Amazon and Apple, while Vodeo became the first video game studio in North America to have union representation in December.
Several Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) employees in New York, recently voted to unionise, while Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) employees in Atlanta have petitioned for a union election.
More than 58 US Starbucks Corp (NASDAQ:SBUX) cafe workers have elected to join Workers United, while at least four outlets voted against it, out of more than 262 that have attempted to hold elections since August last year.
Workers who wish to unionise have more leverage than ever amid labour shortages and a record number of Americans quitting their jobs.