A new campaign launched on Tuesday in order to attempt to inspire tech companies and video game industry workers to unionize. The last couple of years have seen the tech industry experiencing all manner of worker activism as employees have engaged in walkouts and strikes to negotiate better conditions with their respective companies. At the same time activists who are not a part of the industry have also been criticizing large tech companies for their treatment of employees. Despite this there has been little union activity in the tech and video game industry.
This surge of employee activism can be traced to criticism of the video game industries' decades old practice of crunch time. In the last few months before a video game is released employees are expected to work overtime hours, and usually without extra pay incentive, constituting "crunch." Almost every single large video game company has been accused of using this practice to meet deadlines. Epic Games has been one of the biggest examples of criticism because of the way that their most popular game, Fortnite, operates. Insiders have noted that since the game is continuously updating, the company exists in a constant state of crunch.
The Los Angeles Times reports that the Communication Workers of America (CWA) has developed a new project to unite video game and tech industry workers. This new project is working specifically to teach workers what rights they have and give them the resources necessary to help them self organize. Their plan is to organize entire companies into one large union rather than following other methods of splitting the unions up by job duties. CWA has a model and plan they are working with, but have stated that ultimately it will be up to industry workers on how exactly they unionize.
People both inside and outside of the video game industry have been calling for changes for several years. Companies like Epic Games and Treyarch have yet to make any real strides towards rectifying their problems, but others have begun to move in what some believe to be the right direction. On the other hand, some studios have begun to fight back against inhumane worker practices. Indie game publisher Modern Wolf has stated that they want to focus on the mental health of their employees and promised a zero tolerance position on crunch.
The ability to unionize and demand safer working conditions has been an important aspect of worker rights for generations. By allowing employees to unionize, companies are therefore contributing to happier, healthier, and therefore more productive workers. The CWA is making a huge push in the right direction to ensure that tech industry workers understand what rights and legal avenues they have access to. From there hopefully workers can decide what works best for them.
Source: Los Angeles Times