Members of ZeniMax Workers United – a union made up of more than 300 quality assurance workers across ZeniMax Studios – have “overwhelmingly” voted to authorise union leadership to call for a strike if no resolution is reached following two years of unsuccessful contract negotiations with Microsoft.
ZeniMax Workers United, which is part of the Communications Workers of America (CWA), became the first union ever to be voluntarily recognised by Microsoft in 2023. At the time, members – who’ve worked on the likes of Fallout, Starfield, and Doom – said they’d push to end sudden periods of crunch, unfair pay, and a lack of growth opportunities within the company.
But two years on, ZeniMax Workers United says it’s still to successfully negotiate a first contract. According to the union, its bargaining committee has so far failed to reach an agreement with Microsoft over “better wages, workplace improvements, and key concerns, including a lack of remote work options and the company’s replacement of in-house quality assurance work with outsourced labour without notifying the union.”
Last December saw union members in Maryland and Texas stage a one-day walkout amid concerns around Microsoft’s outsourcing and its return-to-office policies, and the CWA additionally filed an unfair labour practice charge against Microsoft for unilaterally outsourcing work. However, that action could potentially escalate now more than 94 percent of ZeniMax Workers United members have voted to authorise union leadership to call for a strike if contract negotiations fail to reach a resolution.