The Communications Workers of America represents about 1,900 workers at the gaming company.
Blizzard Entertainment workers represented by the Communications Workers of America have voted to ratify union contracts with their employer. This inaugural contract was concluded after approximately two years of negotiations. The mandates cover approximately 1,900 Blizzard employees, including those already represented by the CWA.
According to the CWA, the contracts include provisions such as salary increases, grievance procedures, a hybrid three-day in-office workweek, “just cause” protections, remote work and disability accommodations, and four additional weeks of severance pay regardless of tenure. This arrangement also requires Blizzard to “discuss, evaluate, and negotiate the use of artificial intelligence in the workplace.” Notably, the contract also gives workers the right to be “recalled” into vacant positions in any Blizzard bargaining unit for 14 months from the date their termination was announced. That could be a big win in an industry that has been plagued by heavy job cuts in recent years, notably at Microsoft, which owns Blizzard, and its Xbox games division.
“I believe the positive change we have achieved will trickle down and help make the games industry as a whole a better place for workers and players,” said Simon Hedrick, Monitoring member of the negotiating committee and quality analyst. “This contract is the start of something bigger, and I urge everyone to remember: when we fight together, we win together.”
Blizzard employees have taken several steps toward unionization over the years, primarily through the CWA. Specific game workers, including World of Warcraft, Monitoring, Diablo, Hearth And Warcraft Rumble have made great organizational strides, as have members of Blizzard’s Platform & Technology, Story & Franchise Development, and Quality Assurance units.
