Blizzard Employees Ratify Their First Union Contract
Blizzard Entertainment employees represented by the CWA union have ratified their first collective bargaining contract, covering about 1,900 workers after nearly two years of negotiations.
Employees at Blizzard Entertainment represented by the Communications Workers of America (CWA) have voted to ratify their first union contract with the company. The agreement follows roughly two years of bargaining and covers about 1,900 employees, including those already represented by the CWA.
Key contract provisions
According to the CWA, the contract includes wage increases, formal grievance procedures, a three-day in-office hybrid work schedule, "just cause" protections against unfair termination, accommodations for remote work and disability, and an additional four weeks of severance pay regardless of how long an employee has worked at the company.
The agreement also requires Blizzard to discuss, evaluate and bargain with the union over how artificial intelligence is used in the workplace. Another notable provision gives laid-off workers the right to be "recalled" into open positions across any Blizzard bargaining unit for 14 months after their layoff is announced — a potentially significant protection in an industry that has seen extensive job cuts in recent years, including at Blizzard's parent company Microsoft and its Xbox division.
Simon Hedrick, a Quality Analyst and member of the Overwatch bargaining committee, said the positive changes achieved could ripple outward to improve conditions across the games industry for both workers and players, describing the contract as the beginning of broader progress.
Blizzard employees have taken multiple steps toward unionizing over the past several years, largely through the CWA. Organizing efforts have involved staff from specific game teams, including World of Warcraft, Overwatch, Diablo, Hearthstone and Warcraft Rumble, as well as members of the company's Platform & Technology, Story and Franchise Development, and Quality Assurance units.
