Microsoft may have its first union soon

About 300 quality assurance workers at Microsoft’s ZeniMax game studio are in the process of voting to form what would be the tech giant’s first union, organizers confirmed to CNN Business.

Workers are organizing with the Communications Workers of America (CWA) union and have until the end of December to vote. Microsoft has agreed to recognize the union if a majority of workers vote in favor of it, according to the CWA.

“We applaud Microsoft for remaining neutral during this process and allowing workers to decide for themselves whether they want a union,” CWA President Christopher Shelton said in a statement to CNN Business. “Other video game and technology giants made a conscious choice to attack, undermine and demoralize their own employees when they banded together to form a union. Microsoft made a different choice, one that other companies would do well to emulate for the good of their corporate culture, their employees and their customers.”

The organizing efforts at the game studio come amid a broader labor awakening that has emerged at big companies in the tech sector and beyond, including retail and warehouse employees at Amazon, Apple and Starbucks. Some companies like Amazon have so far refused to recognize workers who voted to form a union.

The union proposal at the Microsoft subsidiary, however, stands out from some of the others because the company has already promised to recognize workers’ rights to organize.

Earlier this year, Microsoft entered into a neutrality agreement with the CWA, which is also supporting the organizing efforts of employees at Activision Blizzard, the gaming giant that Microsoft agreed to acquire for $68.7 billion. (The deal is pending regulatory approval.)

Last year, the gaming industry saw a greater worker-led push for better working conditions following a series of controversies related to grueling work-life balance, wage inequalities, poor job stability and other complaints about local culture. working in some of the biggest game studio countries.

A Microsoft spokesperson told CNN Business Monday night that its neutral stance toward ZeniMax employee organizing efforts is “an example of our labor principles in action.” The spokesperson said the company remains committed “to providing employees with an opportunity to make free and fair choices about their representation in the workplace.”

Joe Slack, an associate quality assurance tester who is on the organizing committee for the ZeniMax union, said workers “are not starting a union to be against the company.” Instead, the effort is largely about giving workers a seat at the table while management makes decisions that will affect them.

“We really wanted to have a voice,” Slack told CNN Business, “and try to help with communication with management and figuring out how we can deal with all these different things that challenge the group as a whole.” Slack noted that workers rallied after seeing “a lot of room for improvement” in their workplace.

Slack said Microsoft has been “very accommodating” throughout the process since organizers first approached the company about the union. “They understand it’s a right and they want to leave that to workers,” Slack said.

“There’s this perception of an antagonistic relationship between union and management, and it doesn’t have to be that way,” added Slack. “I am happy to be part of a group that is trying to prove this and improve everyone’s lives and well-being in the process.”