On Friday, unionized quality assurance testers at ZeniMax, a video game holding company, revealed that they have reached a tentative contract agreement with Microsoft, the company that acquired ZeniMax in 2021.
This agreement marks Microsoft’s first union contract in the United States. It has been over two years since approximately 300 QA testers announced their decision to unionize through the Communications Workers of America, and they have been engaged in negotiations with Microsoft ever since.
According to a report by Bloomberg, the contract terms include a 13.5% pay raise across the board, effective July 1. The contract also incorporates a previously announced agreement regarding the use of AI. The union members are scheduled to vote on the contract ratification on June 20.
In a statement, QA tester and union bargaining committee member Page Branson described this achievement as “a monumental victory for all current and future video game workers.”
Although ZeniMax’s QA workers were the first to unionize at Microsoft, other teams have followed their lead, and the CWA now represents over 2,000 Microsoft video game workers as members.
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