CODE-CWA

CODE-CWA

CODE-CWA

Initiative to unionize tech and video game workers


The Campaign to Organize Digital Employees or CODE-CWA is a project launched by the Communications Workers of America to unionize tech and video game workers in January 2020.[1] It sprung out of conversations with Game Workers Unite (GWU) and employed at least two full time staff, including GWU co-founder Emma Kinema and veteran SEIU organizer Wes McEnany.[1] In 2022, Jessica Gonzalez joined, a former Activision Blizzard QA tester.[2][3]

Quick Facts Founded, Key people ...

CODE-CWA campaigns have been launched at a range of workplaces such as major multinational tech companies, small startups, video game studios, media companies, AAA game publishers, worker co-operatives, and table-top game companies.[4] As of August 2022, CODE-CWA has organized over 3000 union members in various sub-industries of the tech sector across over 25 bargaining units in the last two years of organizing. [5]

Campaigns

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See also


References

  1. Dean, Sam (January 7, 2020). "Major union launches campaign to organize video game and tech workers". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  2. Francis, Bryant (July 22, 2022). "Devs protest Activision Blizzard's response to abortion rights crisis". [[Game Developer (website)|]]. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
  3. Klar, Rebecca (July 18, 2022). "Changing the game in gaming". The Hill. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
  4. "Campaign to Organize Digital Employees (CODE-CWA)". Organizing Campaigns. November 25, 2019. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  5. "Not Playing Around: QA Testers at Blizzard Albany Organize with CODE-CWA". Strikewave. September 2022. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
  6. Kastrenakes, Jacob (May 22, 2020). "Glitch lays off 'substantial number of employees' to cut costs". The Verge. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  7. Heater, Brian (March 13, 2020). "Online code collaboration tool Glitch votes to unionize". Tech Crunch. Archived from the original on July 19, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  8. Schiffer, Zoe (March 2, 2021). "Glitch workers sign tech's first collective bargaining agreement". The Verge. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  9. Kastrenakes, Jacob (May 19, 2022). "Glitch acquired by cloud service provider Fastly". The Verge. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  10. Carpenter, Nicole (August 11, 2020). "These game writers made history by going on strike — and winning". Polygon. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  11. Miller, Sean (October 21, 2020). "Employees At Democratic Firm Blue State Unionized By CODE-CWA". Campaigns and Elections. Archived from the original on July 27, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  12. Marshall, Aarian (January 12, 2021). "Google's New Union Is Already Addressing Political Issues". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. The AWU is somewhat unusual in that it is affiliated with the Communications Workers of America but won't seek recognition or collective bargaining rights through the National Labor Relations Board. "We will use our reclaimed power to control what we work on and how it is used," AWU writes in its mission statement. "We will ensure Alphabet acts ethically and in the best interests of society and the environment." The group says it now has more than 700 dues-paying members. But that's still a tiny percentage of Alphabet's 130,000 employees—and an even smaller share of the company's total workforce, including temporary workers, contractors, and vendors. The union is unusual in another respect, because it welcomes contractors and temporary workers.
  13. Lyons, Kim (March 25, 2022). "Google Fiber contractors vote to join union". The Verge. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  14. Silberling, Amanda (April 26, 2023). "YouTube Music contractors win historic union vote". TechCrunch. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  15. Kerry Flynn (February 11, 2021). "Unions are becoming ubiquitous in digital media. Medium is the latest". CNN. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  16. "Medium Workers Board the Union Train". Gizmodo. February 11, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  17. Schiffer, Zoe (March 1, 2021). "Medium union effort stalls, falling one vote short of majority". The Verge. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  18. Kramer, Anna (March 15, 2021). "Mobilize app workers have unionized, adding momentum to CWA's tech organizing efforts". Protocol — The people, power and politics of tech. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  19. Robertson, Katie (April 13, 2021). "New York Times tech workers form a union". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  20. "600+ New York Times Tech Workers File for Union Certification!". Organizing Campaigns. July 23, 2021. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  21. "New York Times tech workers escalate union conflict with half-day walkout". Poynter. August 11, 2021. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  22. Tani, Maxwell (August 12, 2021). "NYT Lawyers Accidentally Send Private Strategy Memo to Staff Union". The Daily Beast. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  23. Robertson, Katie (March 3, 2022). "New York Times Tech Workers Vote to Certify Union". The New York Times.
  24. Ford, Brody (June 15, 2021). "Mapbox Faces Union Drive as Labor Organizers Extend Push in Tech". Bloomberg. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  25. "U.S. workers of SoftBank-backed Mapbox form union, seek recognition". Reuters. June 15, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  26. "Union Drive at SoftBank-Backed Mapbox Fails at the Ballot Box". Yahoo Finance. August 5, 2021. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  27. Rodrigo, Chris (June 16, 2021). "Workers at progressive data firm Catalist unionize". The Hill. Retrieved December 22, 2021. Davinia Camellia, an account executive at the firm, told The Hill that the organizing workers' "overall philosophy" was that if they were going to be doing work with the labor movement then they should be represented by a union as well.
  28. Allyn, Bobby (June 30, 2021). "Change.Org Workers Form A Union, Giving Labor Activists Another Win In Tech". NPR. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  29. "Workers at EveryAction Become Largest Progressive Tech Union". Communication Workers of America. September 3, 2021. Archived from the original on September 3, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  30. Parrish, Ash (September 14, 2021). "Activision Blizzard sued again, this time for labor violations". The Verge. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  31. Browning, Kellen (July 21, 2021). "Activision Blizzard Is Sued by California Over Workplace Culture". The New York Times. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  32. Carpenter, Nicole (December 6, 2021). "Call of Duty: Warzone QA workers continue walkout in protest of layoffs". Polygon. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  33. Carpenter, Nicole (December 9, 2021). "Activision Blizzard Staff Announce Start of New Strike Action [Update]". IGN. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  34. Carpenter, Nicole (December 9, 2021). "Activision Blizzard workers group announces strike fund, begins unionization effort". Polygon. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  35. Hall, Charlie (October 14, 2021). "Workers at Paizo unionize, a first for the tabletop role-playing game industry". Polygon. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  36. Limbong, Andrew (November 29, 2021). "Arts workers across the country are unionizing". NPR. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  37. Carpenter, Nicole (October 22, 2021). "Pathfinder, Starfinder publisher voluntarily recognizes workers' union". Polygon. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  38. "Indie Studio Forms First Video Game Union In The Country". Kotaku. December 15, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  39. Carpenter, Nicole (December 15, 2021). "North America has its first video game union at Vodeo Games". Polygon. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  40. Kastrenakes, Jacob (May 19, 2022). "Glitch acquired by cloud service provider Fastly". The Verge. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  41. Liao, Shannon (January 21, 2022). "Activision Blizzard employees at Raven Software ask management to recognize new union". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  42. Liao, Shannon (May 23, 2022). "Raven Software employees win union election". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  43. Clark, Mitchell (September 1, 2022). "Another Apple Store union election is brewing". The Verge. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  44. Kullgren, Ian (May 25, 2022). "Apple Store Workers in Kentucky Announce Organizing Campaign". Bloomberg Law. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  45. Vincent, James (May 19, 2022). "Apple accused of union busting in its stores for the second time this week". The Verge. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  46. Carpenter, Nicole (July 19, 2022). "Blizzard QA workers from Vicarious Visions announce plan to unionize". Polygon. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  47. Parrish, Ash (December 2, 2022). "Another Blizzard QA department wins union vote". The Verge. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  48. Carpenter, Nicole (July 22, 2022). "Indie company Tender Claws is the next game studio to unionize". Polygon. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  49. Scheiber, Noam; Browning, Kellen (December 5, 2022). "Video Game Workers at Microsoft and Activision Take Steps to Unionize". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  50. Parrish, Ash (April 24, 2023). "Sega of America is the latest video game studio to organize". The Verge. Vox Media.
  51. "Organizing Update" (Press release). Communication Workers of America. April 27, 2023.
  52. Carpenter, Nicole (July 10, 2023). "Sega of America workers win union vote". Polygon. Vox Media.

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