Union workers at Microsoft-owned Fallout developer ZeniMax Media have voted to ratify their first union contract after two years of negotiations.
It’s a historic moment for ZeniMax Workers United-CWA that will help usher in substantial across-the-board wage increases and new minimum salaries for employees.
The agreement also includes protections against arbitrary dismissal, grievance procedures, AI provisions, and a crediting policy will ensure QA workers are recognized.
The contract covers over 300 quality assurance Microsoft workers represented by CWA Locals 2100, 2108, and 6215 in Maryland and Texas. The vote comes less than a month after ZeniMax Workers United-CWA reached a tentative contract agreement with Microsoft—and two years after the union was formed in 2023.
Although Microsoft helped pave the way for workers to unionize by signing a labor neutrality agreement with the CWA ahead of its Activision Blizzard merger, the company has regularly been called out by employees for allegedly hampering negotiations.
Back in April, ZeniMax Workers United-CWA voted to authorize a strike and accused Microsoft of failing to address the concerns of union members.
Union workers seek “fair wages for the value our labor provides to our games”
“None of us wishes it had come to this, but if Microsoft and ZeniMax continue to demonstrate at the bargaining table that they’re unwilling to pay us fair wages for the value our labor provides to our games, we’ll be showing them just how valuable our labor is,” said one union worker at the time.
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“Paying your employees a livable wage as a multi-trillion dollar company is the least they could be doing; however when addressed at the bargaining table, Microsoft acts as though we’re asking for too much,” added another.
Microsoft refuted those claims and suggested it had made “fair” proposals that would deliver pay increases, remote-working options, and other benefits.
Now, less than three months later, ZeniMax Workers United-CWA has ratified its first union contract without the need for strike action.
“QA workers from across the country continue to lead the charge for industry-wide change,” said Page Branson, senior II QA Tester and ZeniMax Workers United-CWA bargaining committee member. “Going toe-to-toe with one of the largest corporations in the world isn’t a small feat. This is a monumental victory for all current video game workers and for those that come after.”