User:RaDaSun/California Department of Fair Employment and Housing v. Activision Blizzard

Lead

In December 2021, Activision let go of about a dozen contracted quality assurance (QA) staff, or game testers, for Raven Software, despite having made promises of improved wages and other benefits in the months prior. Activision stated that they were in the process of converting about 500 contracted positions across the entire company into full-time staff, but this required them to let go of some contractors. While the action was not directly associated with the lawsuit, the tensions within the company led staff at Raven and later across other divisions of Activison Blizzard to stage another walk-off in protest of Activision's decision. While also trying to "...block the union, reasoning that the union only comprises the 28-employee QA department, while as a whole, Raven Software has around 230 employees". The ABK Workers Alliance announced after the layoffs that alongside ongoing strike action, they were collecting crowdfunding to support a $1 million fund for employees as they began taking steps to organize their own union within the company under the Communications Workers of America. While there had been discussions among employees for unionization in the months prior, the layoffs at Raven Software was considered the tipping point to start the union-forming process. Following this announcement, Brian Bulatao, the company's chief administration officer, sent an email to employees that tried to discourage employees from unionizing. By January 21, 2022, the QA testers remaining at Raven had formed the Game Workers Alliance began seeking Activision Blizzard to recognize it as a union; If recognized, the Game Workers Alliance would be the first union at an AAA video game company. With the union formation, the other workers concluded their strike action. Even talks about a potential "...good faith talks to reach a collective-bargaining agreement for the Raven testers" as olive branch to the unionizing staff.

On January 2022 Blizzard employees sent a letter to Microsoft discussing the buyout of Blizzard and the concerns that came with it. Discussing how they still plan to unionize against Activison Blizzard for better working conditions. Microsoft responded with, "Microsoft respects Activision Blizzard employees’ right to choose whether to be represented by a labor organization and we will honor those decisions,”. However the response from Activision didn't "failed to respond by the deadline set by the organizing workers, writing that “unfortunately, the parties could not reach an agreement” . This creating a chain effect towards the employees to file for union election that same month to stop the "frat boy" culture they were accustom to. However their is talks of Blizzard "is back to trying to union-bust". In the midst of this another Blizzard studio started to unionize for better conditions. This was quickly noticed by Blizzard and "An appeal made by Activision Blizzard that blocked Blizzard Albany’s QA staff from unionizing has been rejected by the US National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)". However was quickly countered by the NLRB.

Wrongful Death Lawsuit

Parents of a former Activision Blizzard employee, Kerri Moynihan, a 32-year-old finance manager. Who had committed suicide in 2017 during a corporate retreat, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the company in March 2022 in Los Angeles Superior Court. The family’s claims that Greg Restituito (their daughter's boss) "initially lied to investigators in the Anaheim Police Department who were looking into her death in a hotel room at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa". Restituito did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.The lawsuit used findings from the DFEH lawsuit that referred to events of the retreat in more detail than previously known. It points to the fact that the employee's supervisor had concealed his quid pro quo sexual relationship with the employee in interviews with the police and Activision Blizzard and the supervisor's attempts to hide evidence and cover-up the situation. This includes the use of covering-up some messages between Moynihan and Restituito . In a Washington Post article they mention, "According to the lawsuit, Activision Blizzard then refused to turn over to police Moynihan’s company-issued laptop, said that her cellphone had been “wiped,” and also refused to give them access to Restituito’s laptop or cellphone". The lawsuit alleges that Activision did not fully cooperate with the policy investigation into the suicide and the company's "failure to take immediate, suitable, and effective corrective action and/or all reasonable steps to prevent that workplace sexual harassment" was a major factor leading to the death. Showing he did everything he can to avoid his relationship with his employee. While going into detail about how " The lawsuit references Activision Blizzard’s alleged “hostile, intimidating, offensive, and abusive” workplace" . There was also information withheld from shareholder creating, "A separate lawsuit into the company by the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was controversially settled for $18 million last September". Creating more of a financial hit to Blizzard.