Employee walkout planned at Activision Blizzard King

The ABK Workers Alliance have announced a mass walkout at Activision Blizzard King on July 21 to protest the company’s healthcare policies in the wake of the overruling of Roe v. Wade, amongst other issues.

Organized by the Committee Against Sex and Gender Discrimination, the walkout follows claims by the ABK Workers Alliance that Activision Blizzard King has repeatedly failed to meet demands made by the group.

Activision Blizzard King faces mass walkout

According to a Twitter thread announcing the general action, the ABK Workers Alliance is conducting the walkout to protest failings by Activision Blizzard King to provide adequate protections to its workforce, especially employees from minority groups and those who are directly affected by the Supreme Court of the United States’ decision to overturn the constitutional enshrinement of abortion rights.

The 17-tweet thread goes on to highlight several specific issues that have led to the walkout. These issues include, but are not limited to:

• The company presently offering $4000 for out-of-state medical care but the policy leaving employees legally vulnerable in their home state.
• Employees signing arbitration agreements without being informed of their right to waive them.
• ABK’s continued union-busting activities

The ABK Worker’s Alliance also released a list of demands.

Activision Blizzard King face mounting pressure

The pressure continues to mount for the gaming giant. While they have been able to settle some of the many lawsuits filed against them over the past 18 months, their public image remains at rock bottom. There are still calls to fire entrenched Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick and as unionization efforts sweep the company, their union-busting tactics have become more and more transparent.

However, a new obstacle may have emerged for the company. Their apparent salvation, an impending merger with Microsoft, may have hit some rough air. The merger is now under investigation by both the Federal Trade Commission and the United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority. These investigations are likely about determining whether the result of the merger would constitute a monopoly and the overall market impact of the deal.

The proposed walkout has also shone another blinding spotlight onto the embattled company. One of the reasons for the walkout, according to the ABK Workers Alliance, is that the company refuses to work directly with the Alliance and instead has repeatedly responded to their demands through interviews with the media.

Activision Blizzard King has not responded to the walkout as of the time of writing.

Header: Alex Radelich, ABK Workers Alliance