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Raven QA Game Workers Alliance is the industry's first large video game union in the US [UPDATED]

Workers at Raven Software won their bid to unionize in a 19-3 vote.
Donovan Erskine
Donovan Erskine
4

Update 5/24 10:12 a.m. ET: Activision Blizzard has provided a statement on the unionization of QA workers at Raven Software.

The rest of the article remains as originally written.

After forming back in February of this year, the Game Workers Alliance has been recognized as the first major union in the video game industry within the United States. Members of the team sent in their ballots to the National Labor Relations Board in Milwaukee, voting 19-3 in favor of officially unionizing.

It was announced today, May 23, 2022, that Raven Software’s QA workers won their vote to unionize. Now, GWA will need to negotiate a contract with parent company Activision Blizzard.

It was back in January that Raven Software’s QA workers formed the Game Workers Alliance following Activision Blizzard’s decision to lay off several members of the team the month before. Today’s news sees the group accomplishing the mission that they set out on several months ago.

Raven Software QA workers win vote to unionize.

Becka Aigner, a member of Raven Software’s QA team provided a statement on the news as reported by The Washington Post.

This of course comes amidst Activision Blizzard’s attempt to finalize a deal to be acquired by Microsoft for $68.7 billion. It’s unclear if and how the unionization of Raven Software employees could impact that deal. Regardless, the formation of the Game Workers Alliance is a major step not only for Raven Software’s QA employees, but the gaming industry as a whole.

News Editor
News Editor

Donovan is a journalist from Maryland. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge film fanatic and will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_

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