ZeniMax Workers United just became the first game developer union in the country to win a contract at a major publisher. The group of over 300 quality assurance testers across franchises like Fallout and Doom secured an agreement with Microsoft that includes wage increases, salary minimums, and crediting procedures.
“Video games have been the revenue titan of the entire entertainment industry for years, and the workers who develop these games are too often exploited for their passion and creativity. Organizing unions, bargaining for a contract, and speaking with one collective voice has allowed workers to take back the autonomy we all deserve,” ZeniMax QA tester and bargaining committee member Jessee Leese said in a press release. “Our first contract is an invitation for video game professionals everywhere to take action. We’re the ones who make these games, and we’ll be the ones to set new standards for fair treatment.”
The contract will now go to the full membership for review with a ratification vote planned for June 20. Once completed, ZeniMAx devs, which includes staff at Bethesda Game Studios, will have won the first collective bargaining agreement of any of the major gaming unions that have formed in recent years. Sega of America staff are also currently in negotiations for a contract, as are developers at other Microsoft-owned studios including the Overwatch 2 and World of Warcraft teams at Blizzard as well as Call of Duty testers at Raven Software.
The ZeniMax contract comes just two months after union employees there threatened to go on strike if an agreement wasn’t reached following a nearly two-year long negotiation process. The Communications Workers of America, which represents ZeniMax Workers United and other Microsoft gaming unions, previously filed an unfair labor practice against the tech giant claiming it was slow-walking the talks. The new contract, once ratified, will provide important benchmarks for other teams currently hashing out agreements.
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