Fallout and Skyrim developer Bethesda employees form union, the first all-employee union at a Microsoft-affiliated game studio
On July 19, 2024, it was announced that employees of
Workers at Bethesda Game Studios Achieve Union Recognition with CWA becoming First Wall-to-Wall Union at Microsoft | Campaign to Organize Digital Employees (CODE-CWA)
https://code-cwa.org/stories/workers-bethesda-game-studios-achieve-union
Bethesda Game Studios is a game development studio under the umbrella of Bethesda Softworks, and has a track record of developing popular games such as ' The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim ,' ' Fallout 4 ,' and ' Starfield .'
Bethesda Softworks was acquired by Microsoft in 2021, but Microsoft announced in May 2024 that it would close several game development studios under Bethesda Softworks.
Microsoft decides to close several game studios under Bethesda Softworks, including those behind 'Redfall,' 'The Evil Within,' and 'Ghostwire: Tokyo' - GIGAZINE
Meanwhile, on July 19, 2024 , Communications Workers of America (CWA) , a labor movement group based in the United States, announced that 'employees at Bethesda Game Studios have joined the CWA and formed a labor union.'
Among game development companies under Microsoft, ZeniMax formed a labor union in January 2023 and Activision Blizzard formed a labor union in March 2024, but the labor unions of both companies were for the quality assurance department and not for all employees. On the other hand, the labor union at Bethesda Game Studios is for all employees regardless of department. For this reason, CWA describes the labor union at Bethesda Game Studios as the 'first wall-to-wall union at a Microsoft video game studio.'
The union already has 241 members, including artists, engineers, programmers, and designers. CWA President Johnny Brown welcomed the formation of the union, saying, 'Bethesda Game Studios has demonstrated that anyone can benefit from joining a union, regardless of their title. This is a groundbreaking achievement. By having a voice in the workplace, workers are taking the first step toward negotiating better working conditions and helping to raise standards across the industry. We are proud to welcome the Bethesda Game Studios union and are confident that we can ensure a brighter future for all workers in the games industry.'
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