Yesterday, Zenimax Workers United-CWA, which consists of over 300 quality assurance workers from Microsoft through its subsidiary Zenimax Media, reached a temporary contract agreement with Microsoft. The union was formed in 2022 and has since negotiated with Microsoft for the next few years. Last month, the union was preparing to potentially attack Microsoft, but now this may be avoided.
According to a CWA press release, if fully agreed, the contract will result in a “significant overall wage increase, similar to the new minimum wage for workers.” Additionally, there are protections against arbitrary terminations, complaints processing, and “policy that clearly recognizes QA workers’ contributions to video games that are useful in creating.” The press release notes that the contract also includes contracts made in 2023 in relation to the way AI is used in the workplace.
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To be clear, this contract has not yet been set on stone. The briefing session will need to be held for members over the next few weeks, and according to the CWA, the ratification vote must be completed by June 20th. As it goes, it will be a big win for workers and will need to set a big precedent for gaming workers employed in Microsoft-owned studios.
Earlier this month, a union consisting of around 200 Overwatch developments was formed alongside the CWA called the Overwatch Gamemakers Guild. Microsoft is already aware of this association. If things don’t go well for Zenimax Workers United-CWA, you’ll probably see that there’s even more wins in other unions. I’m tying my fingers deeply for such a result.