Source: ZeniMax Workers United
One of America’s largest videogame unions has gone on strike to protest Microsoft’s recent moves on job outsourcing, among other complaints.
Hundreds of Bethesda employees went on a one-day strike last November 13, with workers in Maryland and Texas orchestrating mass walkouts with the claim that their parent company ZeniMax, which was acquired by Microsoft in 2021 for $7.5 billion, has failed to address their remote work concerns, and have instead begun to outsource quality assurance work without the union’s agreement.
The union, known as ZeniMax Workers United, announced the strike on their official X (formerly Twitter) account, citing their need for job security and improved working conditions, and calling on Microsoft to meet them at the bargaining table over key issues like remote work options and outsourcing.
The union boasts the second-largest number of members in a videogame union, totaling in over 300 workers. Participants of the strike include employees who do quality assurance work for games like Fallout and Elder Scrolls. The strike, which occurred in Austin, Hunt Valley, Richardson, and Rockville included picket lines touting signage that read “Microsoft runs on trust outsourcing,” “Remote works,” and “Microsoft hire our contractors.”
The union is set to limit the amount of outsourced labour, as well as a more flexible remote work policy. ZeniMax currently has a requirement for workers to be in-office two days a week, which the union has requested to be rectified.
This issue with remote work policy has been an ongoing issue within Microsoft’s acquired companies. Activision Quality Assurance United, the union for Activision Blizzard (which was acquired by Microsoft last year) held a rally outside of their offices in Texas, California, and Minnesota to protest just October of this year.
Before going on strike, ZeniMax Workers United filed an unfair labour complaint against ZeniMax back in October. In an email correspondence with Inverse, Microsoft spokesperson Becca Dougherty stated that “[we] respect our employee’s rights to express their point of view as they have done [today]. We will continue to listen and address their concerns at the bargaining table.”
This is far from the only strike to occur within the games industry this year. A SAG-AFTRA videogame acting strike kicked off in July this year, and is ongoing at the time of writing.