Thousands of Blizzard employees walked off the job on Wednesday to protest Activision Blizzard’s response to the California DFEH lawsuit and to demand better working conditions. Those demands included an end to forced arbitration, better pay transparency, and worker oversight on hiring and promotion policies. According to UppercutCrit, Activision Blizzard hosted an “all-hands” meeting to discuss the lawsuit, which accuses the company of having a “frat boy workplace culture” that marginalizes women and allows men to engage in sexual harassment without repercussion. A second meeting was scheduled for Tuesday, but was canceled in favor of smaller “discussion sessions.”
An email from Activision people officer Suzie Carr (obtained by UppercutCrit) tells employees that the executive team – including Activision general counsel Terri Durham, general manager Johanna Faries, president Rob Kostich, executive vice-president Dave Stohl, VP of worldwide supply chain Josh Taub, and Carr herself – will host "active discussion sessions for up to 30 people" starting tomorrow. There was no mention of yesterday's walkout in the email.
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To participate, employees must register for discussion sessions using their name and email. In a section titled "share individual concerns," Carr asks Blizzard staff to come forward with their stories and that "all reports will be investigated." The email closes with a list of in-house resources for reporting infractions.
Individual sessions in front of extremely high-level executives are a well-known anti-labor tactic. By compelling employees to register and hosting discussions in smaller groups, union organizers or labor leaders are easier to identify and silence through fear of losing their job.
This announcement following the hiring of WilmerHale LLP by Activision Blizzard. WilmerHale LLP made a name for itself by busting union efforts from Amazon employees, and the firm’s website advertises its expertise on “union awareness and avoidance.”
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