On December 8, 2021 (yesterday as of this writing), a public press conference from famous lawyer Lisa Bloom and a Blizzard employee made demands of Activision Blizzard and indicated more legal action is to come. As the day went on, more revelations of the toxic conditions at the storied game company began to spread. Now, the ABK Worker’s Alliance has formally announced a strike.
Today, the ABK Worker's Alliance announces the initiation of its strike. We encourage our peers in the Game Industry to stand with us in creating lasting change. For those who wish to join in solidarity, please consider donating to our Strike Fund.https://t.co/IauGyxuLYG
— ABetterABK ABK Workers Alliance (@ABetterABK) December 9, 2021
The ABK Worker’s Alliance dropped a statement on Twitter today, December 9, noting that the organization “announces the initiation of its strike.” Beyond the various walkouts and other actions during the past several months, this appears to be an official movement to unionize Activision Blizzard. This new work stoppage will be sustained “until demands are met and worker representation is finally given a place within the company.”
Jessica Gonzales, (soon to be former) Blizzard employee and key public-facing organizer of the ABK Worker’s Alliance, has launched a GoFundMe fundraising campaign. With an overall goal of $1,000,000, the ABK Strike Fund is asking for solidarity from the community to help pay for missed wages, as well as efforts to help relocate the recently-released Raven Software QA staff.
This fundraiser also happens to be a convenient source of information, with the initial pitch post laying out a comprehensive timeline of events so far. A lot has happened since the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing filed suit against Activision Blizzard in July 2021, so if anyone is still catching up this is a useful starting point.
This strike follows yesterday’s seemingly unconnected press conference. It also follows revelations of some chilling events affecting new parents at Blizzard, including poorly set up breastfeeding rooms and alleged theft of milk stored in refrigerators.
