QA workers at ZeniMax reach tentative contract agreement
- ZeniMax QA workers have reached a tentative contract agreement with Microsoft, marking the first contract agreement at Microsoft since concerted efforts to unionize the video game industry began four years ago.
- The contract guarantees wage increases for QA workers, who are some of the lowest-paid workers in the industry, as well as protections against arbitrary dismissal and crediting guidelines.
- The unionization effort was led by the ZeniMax Workers United-CWA union, which was formed in 2023 and voluntarily recognized by Microsoft as part of a labor neutrality agreement.
- The contract negotiations were marked by a one-day strike to protest return-to-office and outsourcing policies, as well as a strike authorization vote in April.
- The successful contract agreement sets a precedent for future negotiations in the industry and marks a significant victory for video game workers who have been fighting for better wages and working conditions.
The over 300 quality assurance workers of the ZeniMax Workers United-CWA union have reached a tentative contract agreement with Microsoft. It is the first contract agreement at Microsoft since the concerted effort to unionize the video game industry began roughly four years ago.
“This is a monumental victory for all current video game workers and for those that come after,” said Page Branson, a senior QA tester at ZeniMax, in the press release announcing the agreement. A ratification vote for the contract will take place in late June.
The union, organized by the Communications Workers of America (CWA), was formed in 2023 and was voluntarily recognized by Microsoft as a part of the company’s labor neutrality agreement with the CWA. In the two years since, the union and Microsoft engaged in contract negotiations that precipitated a one-day strike to protest return to office and outsourcing policies and, in April, a strike authorization vote.
The contract details offer up a glimpse of what workers across the industry are fighting for and what they can win. According to CWA’s press release, the contract guarantees wage increases — a big deal considering QA workers are some of the lowest-paid workers in the industry. The contract will also include protections against arbitrary dismissal, as well as crediting guidelines — another big deal, as there are numerous ways a person who worked on a video game can get left off its credits.
While the industry’s organization efforts are ongoing, there’s been a surge in activity over the last four years. Workers at Raven Software, which was then a subsidiary of Activision Blizzard before its acquisition by Microsoft, organized the first video game union at a AAA publisher in 2022. That win kicked off a series of other high-profile unionization efforts across the industry but concentrated primarily within Microsoft — ostensibly to take advantage of the labor neutrality agreement that states that Microsoft will voluntarily recognize union efforts within the company. With ZeniMax workers finally winning a contract agreement at Microsoft, the industry has another first — one that will set a precedent for future negotiations.