After being sued by the state of California, Activision Blizzard is sued by a group representing employees, alleging it tried to prevent them from organizing
Organized by CODE-CWA, the suit claims Activision Blizzard engaged in coercive and intimidating behavior
The new allegations focus on employees’ ability to organize, widening the conflict from alleged treatment in the workplace to the company’s conduct toward collective action.
First-order effects
Activision Blizzard must respond to a second, employee-backed legal challenge, this one alleging coercive and intimidating conduct aimed at limiting organizing.
CODE-CWA and the represented workers gain a formal vehicle to contest the alleged anti-organizing behavior alongside California’s separate employment case.
Second-order effects
The combined disputes increase pressure on Activision Blizzard’s leadership and employment policies, as worker opposition now has both public and legal channels.
If employee groups continue pairing organizing campaigns with legal claims, large game studios will face labor strategy as a governance issue rather than a purely internal human-resources matter.
California’s enforcement case and employee-led organizing claims point toward workplace conduct, investigatory practices, and collective-action rights being tested together in employer disputes.
The trend: Labor organizing in game development is becoming intertwined with broader legal challenges to workplace culture and employer conduct.
NEW: Activision Blizzard workers are accusing the company of “union busting” and “intimidation.” A current employee said they are “scared” because they are seeing “retaliation,” and some other workers who were outspoken before are now going “silent.” https://www.vice.com/...
We have obtained the charging document. Here's what the workers are accusing the company of. -Threatening employees -Telling them not to discuss investigations of working conditions -Enforced broad social media policy -Surveilled workers https://www.vice.com/... https://twitter.c…
Hey Blizzard Execs, I thought the the last nail was already in the coffin of me EVER playing your games again after 12 years of subscriptions and expansions and yet... you somehow out did yourselves. https://twitter.com/...
Yet another reminder that Activision-Blizzard is not a good company. Obviously, they're not feeling the heat anymore and are neither intimidated by employees nor the community https://twitter.com/...
Coercively intimidating employees from organizing a workplace free of abuse is illegal union busting, plain and simple. #1u @CODE_CWA & @ABetterABK, we see & stand with you. It's time to hold Activision Blizzard accountable. https://www.protocol.com/...
Another big departure at Activision Blizzard: Claudine Naughton, Chief People & Diversity Officer, is leaving the company. She's being replaced by Disney HR SVP Julie Hodges. Not sure why Naughton is leaving. https://investor.activision.com/ ...
PR on this is here: https://investor.activision.com/ ... It's been a bit since I looked up the work histories of new Activision execs and didn't see tenures at Republican White Houses. But neither of the new ones have that background, best I can tell.
Today we announced the hiring of two senior executives who will help us build a more inclusive workplace as well as diversify and grow our revenue. https://activisionblizzard.com/ ...