ZeniMax Workers United union authorizes a strike by overwhelming vote

ZeniMax Workers United, represented by the Communication Workers of America local 2100, 2108, and 6215, have overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike, after current negotations have dragged on for over two years. Over 94% of the workers voted to allow a strike to go forward, if necessary. ZeniMax is the parent company of Bethesda Game Studios and Arkane Studios, among others, and was acquired by Microsoft in 2023. They were the first video game studio union at Microsoft — the ABK union was formed in 2021, but that was before Microsoft acquired Activision-Blizzard-King.

While they don’t have any specific demands for a strike as yet, the main stumbling blocks in negotiations as stated in the CWA press release seem to be a request for fairer wages, a return-to-office policy — a typical difference of opinion between management and labor these days — and a lack of support for contractors and other outsourced workers, like health benefits and sick days. Note too that the union authorizing a strike is not the same thing as scheduling a strike or declaring one — it just means they have the greenlight to hit the picket line if talks break down. This also comes after a strike last year, where workers in Texas and Maryland walked off the job for one day.