Unionised workers at Raven Software, subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, have officially secured and ratified a new employment contract, after three years of bargaining. The union initially formed around 2022, against a backdrop of mass layoffs and insecurity, with the intention to protect staff and secure new, stronger workplace rights.
Per an announcement from the Communications Workers of America (CWA) union, the group – comprising many QA workers – had a hard-fought battle to ratify its first major contract, with those three years spent in activate negotiation.
What’s in Raven Software’s union contract?
The rights earned in this contract justify that hard work. As shared by the CWA, unionised Raven Software employees now have a ‘guaranteed 10-percent wage increase over two years with additional raises through merit and promotions.’ Notably, they went over a year without wage increases, and 45 months without promotions.
The group has also earned the elimination of crunch time, with seven days’ notice now required for mandatory overtime. Additionally, there will be no excessive overtime on back-to-back weeks, flexible scheduling is now in place, and there is ‘no mandatory overtime of any duration for the majority of weeks in a quarter.’
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The new Raven Software union contract also includes a range of other rights, including ‘bridging of time worked as a temporary or contract employee, defined job descriptions and a fair promotions process, expanded disability accommodations, and layoff protections including severance, recall rights, generous COBRA subsidies, and career transition services.’
One of the most notable wins here is additional protections for layoffs. Unfortunately, this seems to be standard practice by big game studios lately, with any loss of studio income or instability immediately answered by a mass layoff, leaving workers in the lurch. Hopefully, the union contract earned by Raven Software will provide additional protection in these circumstances, should they come to pass.
Per Erin Hall, QA tester at Raven Software and a member of the bargaining committee, the rights now ratified will enable QA workers to be better protected, and have more stable work conditions.
‘From day one, we made it a priority to include every voice in the room, and the contract we came out with reflects what we need – better pay, real career paths, and protection from burnout,’ Hall said. ‘It’s a contract that actually values the work QA does. I’m proud of what we accomplished, and I hope it shows other game workers that organising works – and it’s worth it.’
Going forward, those under the newly-ratified Raven Software union contract will have a better work environment, and one which enables them to do the best work possible.
Also on ScreenHub: BioShock 4 gets leadership change due to development challenges
BioShock 4 has reportedly undergone a significant change in leadership, following internal reviews which made senior executives ‘unhappy.’ The news arrives courtesy of Bloomberg‘s Jason Schreier, who spoke to multiple sources at the company.
Per these sources, despite BioShock 4 being in development for several years now, it remains in an unsatisfactory condition, with its narrative reportedly being identified as an area ‘in need of improvement.’ The game has reportedly failed an internal review by executives recently, leading to a need for a significant overhaul.
Bloomberg reported Cloud Chamber studio head Kelley Gilmore has been removed from her role as part of these changes, and former creative director Hogarth de la Plante has been moved to a publishing role. The website further reported that all staff at Cloud Chamber had been told they needed to become ‘more agile and efficient,’ with some fearing layoffs are impending.
