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New union contracts represent nearly 1,900 workers across Blizzard; include guardrails around AI usage, layoff protections, and remote and hybrid work benefits

NATIONWIDE — Blizzard Entertainment workers represented by the Communications Workers of America (CWA) voted to ratify historic union contracts with the Microsoft-owned company, securing an unprecedented victory for the video game industry following the Labor Day holiday and just days ahead of BlizzCon, Blizzard Entertainment’s flagship gaming convention in Anaheim, Calif.

After two years of bargaining, nearly 1900 video game workers have won a breakthrough first contract, whose terms will now extend to all units across Blizzard’s game teams and shared services, including union-represented workers at World of Warcraft, Quality Assurance, Hearthstone and Warcraft Rumble, Overwatch, Diablo, and Blizzard’s Platform & Technology and Story and Franchise Development units.

“I’ve been at Blizzard for 20 years because I love this company and the amazing people I work with. This contract secures a lot of what people already love about working here while adding strong protections around layoffs, job security, and remote work,” said Platform & Technology bargaining committee member and Principal Software Engineer Daniel Weltz. “Blizzard helped shape the gaming industry, and I’m proud that this contract allows us to continue setting new standards for this work.”

 
Blizzard Entertainment workers outside the Irvine, Calif., office after World of Warcraft workers became the first wall-to-wall union at Activision Blizzard in July 2024 with the formation of WoWGG-CWA.

The union contracts reinforce several workplace benefits that set industry-wide standards for video game workers in the United States. Alongside wage increases, grievance procedures, a three-day in-office hybrid workweek, “just cause” protections, remote work and disability accommodations, the contracts now require Blizzard to discuss, evaluate, and bargain over the usage of artificial intelligence in the workplace. In an industry first, the new union contracts give workers the right to be “recalled” into open positions across any Blizzard bargaining unit for 14 months from the date of their layoff announcement. Workers have also secured an extra 4 weeks of severance for union workers regardless of their tenure.

“This contract marks the beginning of a new era at Blizzard Entertainment, but it doesn’t stop with us. I look forward to the day that everyone in the industry can enjoy the protections that this contract affords us, like increased severance and recall rights in the event of a layoff and the ability to grieve injustices in the workplace,” said Overwatch bargaining committee member and Quality Analyst Simon Hedrick. “I believe that the positive change we have won will ripple out and help make the games industry as a whole a better place for workers and players alike. This contract is the start of something greater, and I urge everyone to remember: when we fight together, we win together.”

A prominent issue for members of the bargaining committee during contract negotiations was industry layoffs. In July, Microsoft’s gaming division — now rebranded as XBOX — announced 3,200 planned job reductions across XBOX, impacting hundreds of union members. Hundreds of CWA members and allies coordinated rallies across the United States and Canada in protest of these layoffs, demanding dignity and respect for those laid-off.

 
Video game workers and allies rallying against layoffs outside the Austin Activision building in August. Courtesy of CWA Local 2108 Member Emilio González.

“CWA members at Blizzard are leading the way for all XBOX studios, showing what can be achieved when video game workers have a strong voice in shaping their studios for the better. It’s a new day at Blizzard, where greater power for workers is translating into more innovative games for players,” said Claude Cummings, Jr., President of CWA. “I am so proud of CWA bargaining teams, taking on tough fights and winning strong contracts that set new standards for working people across our industries.”

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About CODE-CWA

The Campaign to Organize Digital Employees (CODE-CWA) is a union movement of thousands of workers fighting every single day to build the voice and power necessary to ensure the future of the tech, games, and digital industries in the United States and Canada. CODE-CWA is a project of the Communications Workers of America (CWA), which represents hundreds of thousands of workers throughout tech, media, telecom, and other industries who stand together to fight for justice on the job and in our communities.

cwa-union.org @cwaunion

Press Contact

CWA Communications

(202) 434-1168

comms@cwa-union.org

Washington, D.C. — In a victory for organizing the progressive digital agencies ahead of midterm elections, workers at BattleAxe Digital have formed a union with the Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 2336, joining thousands of workers who have organized with CWA’s Campaign to Organize Digital Employees (CODE-CWA). BattleAxe Digital is a women-owned, full-service digital agency based in Washington, D.C., that boasts progressive clients, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the National Education Association (NEA), and several national unions.

“So many of us have backgrounds in union organizing or come from previously organized workplaces, and many of BattleAxe’s clients are unions themselves. Unionizing reflects the progressive values that BattleAxe has cultivated and stands as a testament to how much we all care about the work that we do,” said CWA Local 2336 member Neha Cremin, a senior creative associate at BattleAxe Digital. “My hope is that we can work with management during bargaining to standardize how policies are communicated and enforced in a first union contract to make sure that everyone has a reasonable workload and the support to succeed.”

Last month, worker-organizers at BattleAxe Digital presented management with a letter requesting voluntary recognition after a supermajority of their eligible co-workers signaled their desire to be represented by CWA. BattleAxe Digital voluntarily recognized the workers’ union within 24 hours. Voluntary recognition is a streamlined pathway to union recognition endorsed by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). In a first contract, BattleAxe Digital workers hope to secure fair compensation, transparency, accountability, economic security, and sustainable work. “This union is an investment in our coworkers, our future colleagues, and the continued success of BattleAxe Digital,” the letter reads.

“In our DC office, we have framed posters and campaign signs on the walls from the labor movement and their many-faceted fights for justice,” said CWA Local 2336 member Grace Duginski, a fundraising content specialist at BattleAxe Digital. “Our union will now allow us to build the kind of workplace that embraces and reflects our Democratic values, and empowers us all. Like our clients, we as workers care deeply about fighting for what’s right and winning by working together.”

“Collective bargaining is one of the best ways for employees and management to maintain an open, healthy dialogue about the workplace we share. When workers have a collective voice and a seat at the table, we can work together to address challenges, protect what’s working, and build a stronger workplace for everyone,” said CWA Local 2336 member Sam Tuero, a digital fundraising specialist at BattleAxe Digital. “My hope is that our union creates a lasting structure for that partnership at BattleAxe where employees feel heard and supported, and where we can keep doing the creative, meaningful work that makes BattleAxe special.”

“As we head into a critical midterm election, the people producing the creative, driving the fundraising, and running the digital campaigns for Democratic candidates and progressive causes deserve the same voice on the job that they’re fighting for everyone else to have,” said Melissa Smith-Kupihea, President of CWA Local 2336. “We’re proud to welcome BattleAxe’s workers into CWA, and we stand with them as they head into bargaining for a first contract.”

For more union updates, follow BattleAxe Workers United-CWA on Instagram and X.

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About CODE-CWA

The Campaign to Organize Digital Employees (CODE-CWA) is a network of worker-organizers and their staff working every single day to build the voice and power necessary to ensure the future of the tech, game, and digital industries in the United States and Canada. CODE-CWA is a project of the Communications Workers of America, which represents hundreds of thousands of workers throughout tech, media, telecom, and other industries who stand together to fight for justice on the job and in our communities.

About CWA

The Communications Workers of America represents working people in telecommunications, customer service, media, airlines, health care, public service and education, manufacturing, tech, and other fields.

cwa-union.org @cwaunion

Press Contact

CWA Communications

(202) 434-1168

comms@cwa-union.org

After three years of negotiations, CWA passenger service and ramp workers at Piedmont Airlines—a subsidiary of American Airlines—overwhelmingly voted to ratify a new contract. Highlights of the five-year contract include improved wages, with a 6 percent bonus upon ratification; expanded vacation and sick accrual time; improvements to overtime accrual; and more.

Bargaining for a new contract began in late 2023 and continued until negotiations deadlocked due to the company’s miserly position​. The National Mediation Board assigned a federal mediator in early 2026 in response to the company’s failure to negotiate in good faith over wages. Under the Railway Labor Act, which governs labor contracts in the transportation industry, contracts do not expire but rather become “amendable,” and the process to strike is complicated.

“CWA members at Piedmont Airlines perform essential and often overlooked labor for one of the country’s most profitable airlines,” said CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. “This strong agreement is a reflection of our union’s commitment to fight for the indispensable workers that keep our nation’s flying public safe. I thank the members of our bargaining committee for their tremendous work and dedication on behalf of their fellow union members.”

“Throughout this lengthy process, in the face of the company penny-pinching at the bargaining table, CWA members at Piedmont Airlines understood that solidarity is our strongest tool at the table,” said CWA Chief of Staff Sylvia J. Ramos. “They remained united for a strong contract that delivers better wages and working conditions.”

Congratulations to our Piedmont CWA members!

Click here to read the full press release.

Last week, the Washington-Baltimore News Guild (TNG-CWA Local 32035) announced that The Washington Post columnist and founding editor of its Global Opinions section, Karen Attiah, could soon be returning to work after a nearly yearlong fight over two posts she made regarding racial double standards in the public response to political violence.

An independent arbitrator ruled that The Washington Post violated its collective bargaining agreement with the Guild when it fired Attiah in September 2025. The ruling vindicates the Guild’s fight and orders the Post to reinstate Attiah with back pay and lost benefits.

Members of the Washington Post Guild stood in solidarity with Attiah throughout the fight—including with a broad letter-signing campaign and flyering outside Post events to push the company to do right by Attiah and honor their contract.

“This decision confirms what we’ve said from the start: I was doing my job as an opinion journalist, and doing that job is not misconduct,” said Attiah. “After spending over a decade of my career at the Post as an editor and an opinion columnist focusing on race, gender, and global human rights, I’m relieved to finally have that record set straight. I am grateful to everyone at the News Guild and Democracy Defenders Fund who stood behind me through this nearly year-long battle. I hope that this win sends a message to journalists and media institutions everywhere that freedom of expression is always worth fighting for.”

Congratulations to Karen Attiah and all the members of the Washington-Baltimore News Guild for defending freedom and journalistic integrity.

Earlier this week, during the 2026 CWA District 3 Meeting, members, staff, and retirees rallied at the ADT Headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla., calling on management to “Respect Your Workers and Respect Our Union.” Members are bargaining contracts in CWA Districts 4 and 7, with another District 7 unit set to begin bargaining at the end of the year.

The group (pictured above) included NewsGuild-CWA President Jon Schleuss (second from left), CWA Secretary-Treasurer Ameenah Salaam (third from left), CWA District 9 Vice President Frank Arce (front and center), and CWA Telecommunications and Technologies Vice President Lisa Bolton (second row, right of Arce). The photo was taken by TNG-CWA member Amy Beth Bennett with CWA Local 3108.

This rally comes after a heated dispute over ADT’s unilateral decision to install in-vehicle surveillance technology, including eyeball-monitoring cameras and microphones. Vice President Bolton, working closely with CWA members and officials—including CWA Local 7250 President Kieran Knutson—staunchly defended our members and received confirmation from the company that the tech would not be installed in vehicles driven by union-represented workers.

Click here to sign a petition in support of your union siblings as they bargain with ADT.

Facing devastating cuts to their newsroom staff, workers at the suburban Chicago news outlet the Daily Herald announced last week their intention to form a union with The Chicago News Guild (TNG-CWA Local 34071). Workers include writers, editors, and photographers. The Daily Herald is owned by Tribune Publishing, a subsidiary of New York-based hedge fund Alden Global Capital.

Over the last 10 years, workers saw their wages reduced by at least 15 percent and their work week reduced to 36.5 hours. During that same approximate period, employees experienced eight rounds of buyouts and/or a combination of buyouts and layoffs, culminating on August 10 with the dismissal of 12 Daily Herald employees.

In response, an overwhelming majority of the editorial staff announced the establishment of the Daily Herald News Guild to secure competitive wages and pay equity, transparency, a strong voice in the future of their newsroom, and the ability to continue reporting on the suburban communities the paper has served for more than 150 years.

Workers submitted a petition for voluntary recognition by the company and have also filed for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The workers are happy to withdraw their NLRB request if management voluntarily recognizes the union.

Congratulations to these workers in their fight for a voice in their workplace.

Last week, CWA members, staff, and retirees joined thousands of labor and civil rights activists in Washington, D.C., for the 63rd Anniversary of the March on Washington, commemorating the historic voter and worker rights march led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This year’s march, titled “March on Washington: Defend the Vote,” focused again on voting rights in the wake of the Supreme Court’s disastrous Louisiana vs. Callais ruling, which gutted voter protections.

The march was co-hosted by the National Action Network, led by Reverend Al Sharpton, and the Drum Major Institute, founded by Dr. King Jr. and currently led by his son, Martin Luther King III.

The Trump administration’s attempts to purge voter lists, encouragement of race-based gerrymandering in Republican-led states, attacks on voting by mail, election denialism, and insistence on voter fraud despite bipartisan agreement to the contrary amount to a concerted effort to undermine election integrity ahead of the November midterm elections. With working people facing an affordability crisis, President Trump’s approval rating is among the lowest for any second-term president. Should Democrats regain control of the House, many of his initiatives could face serious scrutiny.

March participants vowed to continue their vocal opposition to any tampering with the U.S. voter system or the disenfranchisement of voters.