Activision Blizzard Inc violated U.S. labor law by illegally monitoring employees during a strike and threatening to shut down internal chat channels after unions tried to organize workers, the Federal Labor Office said. said Friday.
A spokesperson for the National Labor Relations Board said that unless Activision settles, it will involve employees of California and three other state-based subsidiaries, Blizzard Entertainment Inc, in filing complaints against the company. said.
The Communication Workers of America union (CWA) has accused the creators of “Call of Duty” of engaging in a series of illegal labor practices at the union, including the use of video game testers and other workers at the company and its subsidiaries. trying to organize
Blizzard employees across the country went on strike last year to protest the lack of gender equality within the company.
Labor Commission spokeswoman Kayla Brad said Friday that officials at the regional agency found justification in the CWA’s allegations that Activision used security guards to monitor workers during the strike. rice field.
Blado said the company found justification for its claims that it also violated the law by threatening to shut down internal Slack channels where employees frequently discussed working conditions.
In a statement, an Activision spokesperson defended the company’s ability to prevent “toxic workplace behavior.”
“While CWA would like to accept their false allegations, we strongly believe that there is no need to insult or belittle our employees for their hard work, especially on the company’s communication platforms.” said a spokesperson.
The union did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Activision has already faced another NLRB complaint issued last year, alleging it used policies restricting what workers could post on social media to prevent workers from discussing working conditions. I’m here. Activision says its social media policies are legal and do not bar employees from exercising their rights under US labor law.
A small group of workers at Activision subsidiaries in New York and Wisconsin have voted to join the CWA in recent months, and employees in Boston are calling for elections. Activision says it is exploring options for such cases.
Xbox maker Microsoft Corp agreed to buy Activision for $69 billion last year.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/business/activision-threatened-spied-workers-amid-union-drive-us-agency-says-3389511 Activision threatened and spied on workers during union campaign, US agency says