Activision Blizzard has been named in an unfair labor practices grievance by the Communications Employees of America, which represents Recreation Employees Alliance. The grievance was filed over recently-hired Lulu Cheng Meservey, who joined this month as Govt Vice President, Company Affairs and Chief Communications Officer, allegedly Sending a company-wide slack message that disparaged and discouraged unionization efforts.
This new grievance to the Nationwide Labor Relations Board is the fourth unfair labor grievance in opposition to Activision Blizzard since 2021. Meservey was employed as of October sixth and, after QA staff at Blizzard Albany, the studio beforehand generally known as Vicarious Visions, gained the fitting to carry a union vote, was accused of union busting statements. Final week, Meservey’s statements have been shared by CWA’s Jessica Gonzalez, a former Blizzard worker and co-founder of A Higher ABK.
New Activision Blizzard union bust simply dropped. The irony of the communications channel being locked they usually’re nonetheless utilizing the “we’d like a direct communication” line. Clown present ?? how dare you undermine Recreation Employees Alliance when ABK refuses to discount in good religion. pic.twitter.com/aIsBVtdaO5
— Jessica Gonzalez???(she/her) BOOnion girl ?? (@_TechJess) October 19, 2022
Within the Slack message, Meservey acknowledges that Blizzard Albany will get a union vote and says that the corporate “totally respects the NLRB course of, and totally helps the workers’ proper to decide on How they need to be represented. Additionally has the view that individuals who work carefully collectively ought to be capable of make choices like that collectively–i.e. we disagree {that a} handful of staff ought to get to determine for everybody else on the way forward for your complete Albany-based Diablo group. We expect a direct dialogue between firm and staff is the most efficient route.”
She then says that collective bargaining may be very gradual and even when an settlement is in place, the method might take over a yr. After this, her factors as soon as once more restate the choice for direct dialogue and embody claims that union staff get decrease pay raises than those that aren’t unionized.
The brand new grievance filed by the CWA is alleging that these messages and subsequent feedback are in essence, union busting and a stage of intimidation. In response to the CWA on Twitter:
“Final week, Meservey despatched a company-wide Slack message disparaging the union, making threats to withhold raises and profit enhancements from staff who joined the union, and giving staff an impression that their union affiliation and/or assist was beneath surveillance”
The unique Slack message was posted with none capability to answer it with any direct dialogue, although staff that noticed it reportedly responded with downvotes and offended emoji.
