Domestic Workers Union Supports Microsoft Activision Blizzard Settlement in FTC Letter –

In early June, after reaching a labor neutrality agreement with Microsoft, U.S. communications officials sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission endorsing a $68.7 billion acquisition by the tech giant. ძ Collection of duty Manufacturer Activision Blizzard.

The union president, which successfully founded Activision Blizzard’s first certified union at subsidiary Raven Software in late May, sent a letter Thursday to FTC leaders, including president Lina Khan, saying: CWA to provide Activision Blizzard employees with a clear path to collective bargaining. CWA President Chris Shelton added, “Microsoft’s commitment will give employees a seat at the table and ensure that the acquisition of Activision Blizzard benefits the company’s employees and the broader gaming job market.”

The CWA and Microsoft announced a labor neutrality agreement that will take effect 60 days after the Activision Blizzard deal offered by the technology company closes, if the deal is closed, in June. According to the CWA, a contract is intended to keep Microsoft “neutral” when employees bound by the terms of the contract express an interest in forming a union. In addition, the agreement stipulates that workers will be able to “easily exercise their right to join a union with other workers and union representatives” without interrupting their daily activities, have a “streamlined” decision-making process, and . You can keep your union decisions confidential (labor neutrality agreements often involve the employer and the union agreeing to a “card verification” system to recognize the union and prevent elections to the National Labor Council). Ultimately, the union and company agreed to “cooperate promptly to reach settlement” in the event of a dispute and to pursue a speedy arbitration process if the dispute could not be resolved.

Shelton said in May that as a result of the deal, “we support [the acquisition’s] We look forward to hearing from you and look forward to working with Microsoft after the deal closes,” which was a change in the merger. Earlier, the union joined a group of organizations concerned about the FTC’s mega-size, saying the transaction “could lead to an inappropriate concentration of market power when considering a vertical or horizontal merger, jeopardizing the privacy of data and protecting privacy. Online, violates consumers’ right to redress and strengthen workers’ authority and wage inhibitions.

The union’s relationship with Activision Blizzard was even more controversial, as the union filed multiple allegations of unfair labor practices against the company with the NLRB and Activision Blizzard, potentially blocking Raven Software ahead of its election.

Microsoft revealed a seemingly lenient approach to unions in a June blog post that, while vague, outlined several principles for dealing with and organizing unions. The post included a statement that Microsoft “is committed to creative and collaborative approaches with unions when employees wish to exercise their rights and a specific union proposal is submitted to Microsoft.” In June, Microsoft President and Vice President Brad Smith said the acquisition of Activision Blizzard was “our first opportunity to put these principles into practice.”

FTC Chair Lina Khan speaks openly about her interest in discussing the potential impacts on workers as the agency reviews and investigates the merger. On June 16, Khan wrote a letter to Senator Elizabeth Warren stating that the FTC was investigating Microsoft’s offer to buy Activision Blizzard.