Members of ZeniMax Employees United, a union of over 300 high quality assurance employees in Texas and Maryland, have voted to authorize a strike.
The vote, which handed with over 94 p.c in favor of authorization, doesn’t imply employees have gone on strike like SAG-AFTRA members have within the ongoing online game voice actors strike. However ought to contract negotiations break down, the ZeniMax union now has the permission to name a strike.
This authorization comes as contract negotiations between union members and guardian firm Microsoft proceed right into a second yr.
The strike authorization is the most recent escalation between the union and administration. Final yr, ZeniMax Employees United participated in a one-day strike claiming that Microsoft didn’t adequately tackle worker issues over its return to workplace insurance policies and its outsourcing practices. These issues have come up once more in negotiations alongside higher pay and advantages.
“Our in-house contractors have been engaged on minimal wages with no advantages, together with no paid sick time,” stated affiliate QA tester Aubrey Litchfield within the press launch saying the strike authorization. “Employees are selecting to not begin households due to the uncertainty of funds. We’ve launched a number of titles whereas working totally distant. When will sufficient be sufficient?”
The Verge has reached out to Microsoft for remark.
ZeniMax Employees United is one among a number of unions below the Microsoft umbrella. It fashioned in 2023 and was as soon as the biggest union inside the firm with 300 members earlier than Activision High quality Assurance United organized roughly 600 high quality assurance employees final yr.
At GDC 2025, the Communications Employees of America (CWA) introduced the launch of the United Videogame Employees, a nationwide direct-join union open to any employee within the online game trade.
