ZeniMax employees threaten to strike: Microsoft is not making concessions in negotiations for better working conditions

The ZeniMax Workers United union, which unites more than 300 quality control workers at ZeniMax Studios, has voted "overwhelmingly" to give the union leadership the right to go on strike if no solution is reached after two years of unsuccessful negotiations with Microsoft.

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ZeniMax Workers United, a member of the Communications Workers of America (CWA), became the first union to be voluntarily recognised by Microsoft in 2023. At the time, employees who worked on games such as Fallout, Starfield, and Doom said they would seek an end to sudden periods of overwork, unfair pay, and a lack of growth opportunities at the company.

However, two years later, ZeniMax Workers United says it has yet to successfully negotiate a first contract. According to the union, its negotiating committee has not yet been able to reach an agreement with Microsoft on "better wages, improved working conditions, and key issues including a lack of remote work options and the company replacing internal quality control work with work performed by third-party contractors without notifying the union."

Last December, union members in Maryland and Texas held a one-day strike over concerns about Microsoft's outsourcing and return-to-work policies, and CWA also filed a complaint against Microsoft for unilaterally outsourcing work. However, this action could now develop into something more, as more than 94 per cent of ZeniMax Workers United members voted to give union leadership the right to call a strike if contract negotiations fail to reach a resolution.

"Paying their employees a living wage as a multi-billion dollar company is the least they could do," said union member and junior quality control tester Aubrey Litchfield. "However, when this issue is discussed at the bargaining table, Microsoft acts as if we are asking for too much. Our internal contractors work for minimum wage without benefits, including paid sick leave. Employees are refusing to start families because of financial uncertainty. We have released several games working entirely remotely. When will this be enough?"

"Inadequate pay and costly return-to-work initiatives have forced many of us to put our lives on hold," added union member and senior QA tester Zachary Armstrong, "because our income doesn't even keep up with the rising cost of living in the cities where ZeniMax insists we live and work to keep our jobs... If Microsoft and ZeniMax continue to demonstrate at the bargaining table that they are unwilling to pay us a fair wage for the value of our work, we will show them how valuable our work is."

In a statement provided to The Verge in response to the union's announcement, Microsoft spokesperson Delanie Simmons insisted that the company is "deeply committed to reaching a fair and equitable solution that recognises the contributions of the teams." Simmons also said that "substantial progress" had been made during the negotiations and that "interim agreements have been reached on most of the topics on the table".

"We have presented a package proposal that we believe is fair," Simmons continued. "If accepted, it will result in immediate compensation increases, even more robust benefits and is consistent with the company's hybrid model of three days in the office. We look forward to continuing this progress during negotiations."

ZeniMax Workers United is just one of a growing number of video game unions that have been formed over the past few years, with workers at companies such as Activision, Blizzard and Sega also now represented by unions. Additionally, last month, the CWA announced the creation of an industry union, United Videogame Workers, open to all freelance or full-time employees in the video game industry in the US or Canada.

Source: The Verge