With everything swirling around the events of Microsoft’s $69B buyout of Activision-Blizzard, it might have been easy to forget that during the proceedings, Microsoft and the Communication Workers of America union entered into a “labor neutrality” agreement that “provides a pathway for Activision Blizzard workers to exercise their democratic rights to organize and collectively bargain after the close of the Microsoft acquisition.” Now that the deal is complete, Microsoft is taking a moment to reaffirm its agreement with the CWA.
“[A]s Microsoft has closed its transaction to acquire Activision-Blizzard, we affirm our commitment to our labor principles and innovative approach to union partnerships.  Microsoft remains steadfast in our support of our current and future employees in whatever choice they make about their workplace and their representatives.  We look forward to meeting, listening to and learning from our new Activision Blizzard employees and continuing our collaborative engagement with CWA and the workers it represents.”
CWA president Claude Cummings Jr. heralded the acquisition as “a new day for workers at Activision-Blizzard” and the end of “illegal retaliation and attempts to delay and block union elections,” while the CWA’s press statement further urges employees at ABK to visit a website to learn more about unionizing. “Microsoft’s high-road approach should be the norm across the industry,” Cummings commends.
