The Communication Workers of America union announced today that bargaining members of ZeniMax Media — the parent company of Bethesda and, thanks to a $69 billion acquisition, a subsidiary of Microsoft — have voted to authorize a strike against Microsoft. According to the CWA, this comes after over a year of failed negotiations for a first contract between the two.
ZeniMax Workers United-CWA voted 94% for its leaders to authorize the strike, saying that Microsoft has failed to secure a contract with them after nearly two years of negotiations. They’ve been bargaining for “better wages, workplace improvements, and key concerns, including a lack of remote work options and the company’s replacement of in-house quality assurance work with outsourced labor without notifying the union.”
The CWA has previously filed an unfair labor practice charge against Microsoft. It also organized one-day strikes, where ZeniMax Workers United members walked out of the company’s offices in Maryland and Texas. The union issued a statement at the time saying, “We are not afraid to do what’s necessary to make sure that Microsoft meets us at the bargaining table over key issues like remote work options and outsourcing.”
Union member and associate QA tester Aubrey Litchfield said in a statement, “Paying your employees a livable wage as a multi-trillion-dollar company is the least they could be doing; however, when addressed at the bargaining table, Microsoft acts as though we’re asking for too much. Our in-house contractors have been working on minimal wages with no benefits, including no paid sick time. Workers are choosing not to start families because of the uncertainty of finances.”
A Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement to The Verge, “We respect the team’s right to express their viewpoints and are deeply committed to reaching a fair and equitable resolution that acknowledges the teams’ contributions. There has been substantial progress over the course of the negotiations, reaching tentative agreements on a majority of the topics at the table.”
