Quality assurance workers at Raven Software, a key studio behind the popular Call of Duty franchise, have finally won their first union contract with Microsoft. The victory comes nearly three years after the workers first voted to unionize, a long and often difficult process.
The new contract, which workers voted unanimously to approve, includes several major wins. Employees will get a guaranteed 10% wage increase over the next two years, along with other potential raises. The deal also takes a firm stand against “crunch time,” the industry’s notorious practice of forcing long hours to meet deadlines. The new rules require seven days’ notice for mandatory overtime and prevent excessive overtime on back-to-back weeks.
Other key provisions include a fair promotions process, better disability accommodations, and strong protections against layoffs, including severance pay and career transition services.
The road to this contract was not easy. The quality assurance workers first voted to unionize three years ago, forming the first union at a major U.S. game publisher, Activision Blizzard. At the time, Activision was accused of withholding raises from the unionizing workers and engaging in “bad faith bargaining.” The situation changed after Microsoft purchased Activision Blizzard, and this contract shows a new willingness to work with organized labor. This follows a similar deal secured by workers at ZeniMax, another Microsoft-owned studio, back in June.
