ABetterABK plans walkout over inadequate company reproductive protections
The Committee Against Sex and Gender Discrimination has scheduled a walkout in protest of Activision Blizzard's poor response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
With Roe v. Wade overturned, it has become more important than ever for various companies to stand up for their employees’ safety and health in the face of rights squashed by the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the US Supreme Court. Activision Blizzard claims to have set up some protections to aid employees in this regard, but workers at the company are concerned that they are inadequate and don’t cover a variety of situations. As talks have apparently failed, ABetterABK has planned a walkout to push management towards better protection of employees’ reproductive rights and health.
ABetterABK announced its plans for a walkout on its main Twitter in collaboration with the employee-led Committee Against Sex and Gender Discrimination. The walkout is scheduled to take place on July 21 unless demands are met, which include expanding protections of employees in at-risk states due to the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
![According to the ABetterABK Twitter, Activision Blizzard has not done enough to adequately protect the reproductive rights and health of workers in the face of Roe v. Wade's overturning in the US Supreme Court. [Image via Twitter]](https://d1lss44hh2trtw.cloudfront.net/resize?type=webp&url=https%3A%2F%2Fshacknews-www.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fassets%2Feditorial%2F2022%2F07%2Fabetterabk-plans-walkout-over-inadequate-company-reproductive-protections-tweet.jpg&width=986&sign=c-hg-UZAg4IRPvhqjnczHx1_r6Nw-JCraEbcOdUISrU)
“For background on why this walkout is being held, the company's current healthcare policies do not adequately protect the workers of ABK,” ABetterABK’s twitter thread alleges. “The presently offered $4000 reimbursements for out of state medical care currently leave employees open to legal prosecution in their home state. Travel reimbursements do not remove workers from imminent danger. Our demands ensure that our workers safely, affordably, and legally maintain access to life saving procedures like abortions and trans-affirming healthcare.”
The thread goes on to say that the Committee Against Sex and Gender Discrimination has attempted to maintain dialogue with Activision Blizzard management, but in the past year, said management has dismissed concerns. ABetterABK alleges that a similar situation occurred leading up to the announcement of this walkout:
“Two months ago, the Committee Against Sex and Gender Discrimination delivered a list of demands to company leadership for the protection of marginalized groups. Rather than meeting with us when we went public with these demands, they chose to respond to media outlets.”
With Activision Blizzard continuing to coast towards an acquisition by Microsoft, it has seemingly taken action only where entirely necessary, including recognition of a union formation at Raven Software, which was supported by Xbox lead Phil Spencer and Microsoft soon after. Nonetheless, ABetterABK’s demands have been made and a date for the walkout is set. Stay tuned as we continue to follow this story for further updates.
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replyTJ Denzer posted a new article, ABetterABK plans walkout over inadequate company reproductive protections
