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ZeniMax union "overwhelmingly" supports strike action if it fails to come to agreement with Microsoft

by Danny Craig · 4/2/25, 12:27 PM
ZeniMax union "overwhelmingly" supports strike action if it fails to come to agreement with Microsoft
ZeniMax

ZeniMax Workers United has "overwhelmingly" voted to support a call to strike if the company fails to reach an agreement with Microsoft after two years of negotiations over higher pay and other workplace issues.

The details:

  • Back in early 2023, ZeniMax Workers United became Microsoft's first voluntarily recognized union. The union currently has over 300 members from various ZeniMax studios, including Bethesda and ZeniMax Online, and is advocating for higher pay, the end of harsh crunch periods, and improvements to benefits and career development opportunities.

  • However, the union has revealed that, after two years, it has failed to reach an agreement with Microsoft on "better wages, workplace improvements, and key concerns, including a lack of remote work options and the company's replacement of in-house quality assurance work with outsourced labour without notifying the union."

  • It has now announced (via The Verge) that 94% of its members voted to allow its leadership to declare a strike if negotiations with Microsoft fail. In a new statement posted on the Communications Workers of America's website, associate QA tester Aubrey Litchfield claims that "in-house contractors have been working on minimal wages with no benefits, including no paid sick time" and that ZeniMax employees have continued to be concerned about potential financial issues.

  • In a statement to The Verge, Microsoft spokesperson Delaney Simmons stated that the company is "deeply committed to reaching a fair and equitable resolution that acknowledges the teams' contributions" and that there has been "substantial progress over the course of the negotiations" with a package proposal being offered. “We have presented a package proposal that we believe is fair,” Simmons said, ”if accepted it would result in immediate compensation increases, even more robust benefits and is in alignment to the company’s hybrid model of 3 days in office. We look forward to continuing this progress during negotiations.”

  • In December, the union held a walkout in Maryland and Texas to protest Microsoft's outsourcing of work and its calls for remote employees to return to physical office spaces.

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