Microsoft Reaches Tentative Agreement with Game Union, a First

After two years of negotiations, Microsoft and the Communications Workers of America (CWA) have reached a tentative labor agreement related to quality assurance (QA) employees at ZeniMax, a Microsoft-owned game studio. This is the first such agreement for the software giant.

“QA workers from across the country continue to lead the charge for industry-wide change,” ZeniMax senior QA tester Page Branson said. “Going toe-to-toe with one of the largest corporations in the world isn’t a small feat. This is a monumental victory for all current video game workers and for those that come after.”

In 2022, Microsoft said that it would respect unionization efforts by employees. And then it formally recognized the ZeniMax union of QA workers in January 2023, the first time it had ever done so. At the time, those 300 employees were looking for more equitable pay, better communication with management, and an end to crunch time.

With this tentative agreement–it needs to be ratified by union members by vote, set to conclude by June 20–the QA employees have secured “across-the-board wage increases,” new minimum salaries for workers, “protections against arbitrary dismissal, grievance procedures,” and in-game credit for the work they do. It also incorporates an AI-related agreement that Microsoft and the union had agreed to in late 2023 that protects workers from AI-based job losses.

The minimum worker salary has jumped from $20.75 per hour to $25 per hour, and will go up again, to $28.38 per hour, in July.

“We appreciate the dedication and engagement of the ZeniMax QA team and the bargaining committee throughout this process,” Microsoft vice president Amy Pannoni said. “The tentative agreement represents a meaningful step forward and reflects a shared commitment to constructive dialogue and a common goal of fostering a positive workplace.”

Since the ZeniMax unionization, 600 members of the Activision QA team also voted to unionize, in 2024. But later that year, a union in Activision subsidiary Raven filed a complaint against Activision–and, thus, corporate parent Microsoft too–alleging “refusal to bargain/bad faith bargaining practices” while trying to reach a collective bargaining agreement. It’s not clear if there’s been further progress in either case.