Activision Blizzard is actively discouraging Raven Software QA employees from voting in favor of unionization, ahead of an ongoing election with a deadline of May 20.
According to a Washington Post report, Raven management has been sending employees messages and holding town hall meetings about the election, including an April 26 town hall where employees were told that unionization might harm game development and impact promotions or benefits.
Following that event, an email was reportedly send around to employees with a graphic attached that read, "Please vote no."
The National Labor Relations Board approved the unionization vote in late April, following an extended back and forth between quality assurance workers and management beginning last year after Activision Blizard laid off around a dozen QA contractors unexpectedly.
Following a walkout in protest, Raven Software moved to unionize, filing a petition with the NLRB when Activision Blizzard did not voluntarily recognize their union by the set deadline. Ballots have been mailed out to eligible QA workers with a deadline of May 20 and a planned ballot count on May 23 over video conference.
All this is occurring while Activision Blizzard remains under heightened legal scrutiny from a number of other directions, including the SEC (related to its pending acquisition by Microsoft), various New York City funds, as well as multiple ongoing lawsuits alleging sexual harassment and unequal treatment of women employees.
Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.
