Activision Blizzard Workers Walk Out Over Lack Of Roe v. Wade Support
Photo: CWA
Employees from Activision Blizzard walked off their jobs in the present day with the intention to demand protections for the employees members impacted by the lack of abortion rights within the United States. The walkouts impacted studios in California, Texas, Minnesota, and New York.
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A Better ABK (organized beneath Communications Workers of America) issued an announcement of calls for directed at their employer, Activision Blizzard, that embrace relocation help for these figuring out of discriminatory states, price of dwelling changes for relocations, and assured abortion entry in workers’ healthcare plans. Some of the calls for relate to labor rights extra broadly, reminiscent of the fitting to decide on distant work, together with workers in sexual harassment audits, and for the corporate to signal a labor neutrality settlement like Microsoft.
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According to the Washington Post, 450 workers had been taking part within the walkout on the time the article was written. Some participated in-person, whereas others participated just about in Zoom. The Irvine mayor Farrah Khan and a consultant from Congresswoman Katie Porter’s workplace additionally got here to assist the walkout. “[We are] supporting our workers at Blizzard today where female workers have continuously faced harassment and working conditions haven’t improved,” Khan tweeted. “This cannot continue through next year in hopes that Microsoft will do better.”
Relocation is a very necessary problem for the workers at Activision Blizzard as a result of the corporate has a location in Austin, TX. Texas is a set off regulation state that may quickly criminalize those that carry out abortions. Employees at different tech and gaming corporations have additionally demanded assist for these figuring out of Texas (reminiscent of ZeniMax and Nvidia).
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Currently, there is no such thing as a info on whether or not or not the writer intends to reply to the employees’ calls for. Kotaku reached out to CWA however didn’t obtain a response by the point of publication. A spokesperson for Activision Blizzard offered Kotaku with the next assertion:
We assist the fitting of our workers to specific their views and values in a secure, accountable means, with out concern of retaliation. There are quite a few methods they will achieve this publicly or confidentially.
Our management crew stays centered on making certain we’re the easiest place to work. This consists of making certain gender fairness all through the corporate and complete entry to reproductive and different healthcare companies for each worker.
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Notably, the assertion doesn’t instantly handle the walkout’s record of calls for. Other gaming corporations reminiscent of Bungie have promised to reimburse journey prices for workers who “cannot get access to the healthcare they need where they live.” Game growth studio Certain Affinity supplied to pay relocation bills for workers who can not entry “essential care.” So there’s an business precedent for the walkout organizers’ calls for. With the large success of the Call of Duty franchise final 12 months, Activision Blizzard actually has the assets to offer these advantages to its workers.
Update 07/21/2022 6:43 p.m. ET: Activision Blizzard despatched the next assertion to Kotaku:
In early June, the corporate introduced expanded medical journey advantages to incorporate protection for U.S. workers and their dependents who take part in our medical plans and stay in areas the place entry to medical care, together with reproductive well being, gender-affirming therapy, transplant care, and some other medical care coated by our plans that’s not obtainable in a coated particular person’s state, or inside 100 miles of the place they stay.
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