Call of Duty studio Raven Software alleges "bad faith bargaining" in complaint against Microsoft and Activision
As part of ongoing union efforts.
Unionised staff at Raven Software have filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board after claims both Activision and Microsoft are stalling over contract negotiations.
Workers from the studio, which is known for its contribution to the Call of Duty series, filed the complaint last Friday. As reported by Game File, the complaint alleged "Refusal to Bargain/Bad Faith Bargaining" in relation to ongoing efforts to reach a collective bargaining agreement.
"After Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, our members were optimistic that they would progress quickly to a first contract at Raven Software," Communication Workers of America president Claude Cummings Jr. told Game File following the filing. "Unfortunately, that has not happened."
"We encourage Microsoft to address the concerns raised in the Unfair Labor Practice charge and make reaching a fair agreement a priority," Cummings concluded.
While the CWA did not go into detail about the issues raised within the charge, Game File noted other allegations in the public summary include "changes in terms and conditions of employment", as well as "concerted activities (Retaliation, Discharge, Discipline)".
A Microsoft spokesperson further told Game File the company is "committed to negotiating in good faith".
Unionisation efforts within Activision Blizzard's Raven Software subsidiary started all the way back in January 2022, following strike action that December. This was in reaction to the firing of 12 members of the developer's QA team.
Eventually, in May of that year, the vote to unionise was won, despite Activision Blizzard's ongoing anti-unionisation efforts, which included sending emails asking recipients to "please vote no".