Unionized employees at Call of Duty studio Raven Software have filed a new labor complaint against their bosses at the company, as well as its parents Activision and Microsoft, alleging "bad faith bargaining".
The complaint, which was picked up by Game File's Stephen Totilo (as well as the good folks at VGC), contains three allegations against Activision, Microsoft, and Raven Software itself.
Those allegations are as follows: "Refusal to Bargain/Bad Faith Bargaining", "Changes in Terms and Conditions of Employment", and "Concerted Activities (Retaliation, Discharge, Discipline)".
As noted by VGC and Totilo, Claude Cummings Jr, president of the Communications Workers of America union, said the union's members were "optimistic" that Microsoft's Activision Blizzard acquisition would speed things up for Raven Software's collective bargaining efforts.
However, he goes on to acknowledge that this "has not happened", imploring Microsoft to "address the concerns" raised in the complaint and to "make reaching a fair agreement a priority".
In response, Microsoft told Totilo and Game File that the company was "committed to negotiating in good faith". That, to me, seems a slightly mealy-mouthed response to a complaint that contains an accusation of doing exactly the opposite, but I'm not a legal expert.
Raven Software first announced its intention to unionize back in early 2022, and in June of that month, then-Activision head Bobby Kotick declared the company's intention to enter into "good faith" negotiations with said union.
However, Activision Blizzard has also been mired in accusations of anti-union behavior for the past couple of years, so it's not surprising to learn that another labor complaint has been filed against the company.
It is, however, slightly disappointing to hear that Microsoft's acquisition doesn't seem to have done much to stop such behavior, at least not in the short-term.
Perhaps in the next couple of years, the situation for unions under Activision will improve, but that's got to start somewhere. Stay tuned for more on this and all other things gaming union-related.
