The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has concluded its investigation of a case the Communication Workers of America (CWA) filed against Activision Blizzard, opting to file a complaint with charges alleging the company illegally surveilled employees and violated labor laws by threatening to shut down company communication channels. However, the NLRB also dismissed a charge that the company violated Section 7 laws by shutting down a chat channel during an all-hands meeting last summer.
The three charges
The charge of surveillance goes back to July 21, 2022 when employees staged a walkout in protest of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, demanding protections from a growing strain of anti-abortion laws in the US, as well as labor-neutrality commitment from Activision Blizzard amid growing unionization efforts and repeated reports of company union busting. The CWA alleges in its filing that Activision Blizzard illegally surveilled employees “through managers and security” while they were engaged in protected labor activities.
The second charge moving forward relates to alleged threats that Activision Blizzard threatened to cut off access to certain internal communication channels “because employees are discussing wages, hours, and working conditions.”
Meanwhile, the dismissed charge is related to an all-hands meeting “where employees were discussing wages, hours and working condition,” with the CWA alleging that Blizzard violated Section 7 rights protecting employee organizing efforts by cutting off access.
The news was shared with employees today in a Slack message from Activision Blizzard chief administrative officer Brian Bulatao, where he claims that chat for future all-hands meetings was disabled following feedback that the chat in one particular meeting “was particularly disruptive after some employees used the chat to disparage the work of the Diablo Immortal team and others.”
He goes on to claim that “Blizzard leadership” then “suggest[ed] a future change to Blizzard’s Slack policy to limit harassing content in company-wide channels.” Finally, he states that Blizzard presence at the walkout consisted of “communications teams (to assist with press) and security (to ensure a safe environment)”.
His message continues:
We stand by our Slack and Workplace Integrity policies, and we stand by you and your right to opt-out of channels not directly related to your job function should you choose to. We continue to support employees’ rights to express their views and values. you have the right to express those views on public and private company-provided communications channels – but abusive behavior is never okay.
Blizzard vs. the CWA
In an official statement from Blizzard, the company claims that the shutdown of the all-hands chat was done in the name of protecting employees from “toxic workplace behavior,” and refers to the remaining allegations as “false claims.”
“We strongly believe employees shouldn’t have to be subjected to insults and put downs for their hard work – especially on company communications platforms,” the statement concludes.
The CWA has similarly issued a statement on the NLRB’s decision to move forward, noting its additional unfair labor practice charges filed against Activision Blizzard:
“This egregious behavior by Blizzard is yet another example of the company using its platforms and tools to coerce and intimidate workers exercising their protected right to organize,” the statement reads. “These actions, coupled with Activision Blizzard’s illegal firing of workers speaking out about their working conditions and several other unlawful actions, shows a clear pattern to disregard the law in an attempt to silence workers.”
This is one of multiple ongoing NLRB complaints that Activision Blizzard is involved in. Others include charges for allegedly illegally firing two QA workers while another, filed in late October, alleges illegally coercive actions and statements. The company remains embroiled in the fallout of a number of controversies beginning with a 2021 lawsuit alleging the company fostered a hostile company culture where women were subject to unequal pay and harassment, and including multiple labor actions such as walkouts and the organization of Raven Software QA employees last year.
Notably, Activision Blizzard reportedly sent multiple messages to employees and held a town hall discouraging the employees from unionizing, and repeatedly (but unsuccessfully) attempted to delay the unionization of QA workers at Blizzard Albany. A third group of Activision Blizzard workers at acquired subsidiary Proletariat filed and then later withdrew their petition for a union this past January.
Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.
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