Microsoft will accept agreement should Activision Blizzard recognize a union
It won't stand in the way.
Microsoft has said it will honor any agreement should Activision Blizzard recognize a union.
This is according to a statement given to The Washington Post by Microsoft's corporate VP and general counsel, Lisa Tanzi.
“Microsoft respects Activision Blizzard employees’ right to choose whether to be represented by a labor organization and we will honor those decisions,” said Tanzi.
Employees at Activision Blizzard have tried to form a union with Raven Software having signed on with The Communications Workers of America. Activision-Blizzard has yet to acknowledge the agreement with the union, and to combat things moving forward, it hired Reed Smith, a law firm known for its union busting efforts.
In January, Microsoft announced plans to acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion at $95 per share, in an all-cash transaction. The deal is expected to close during Microsoft’s fiscal year 2023 once the completion of the regulatory review is conducted by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to ensure the deal doesn't fall under unfair competition laws.
Should the deal go through, Microsoft will own the IP for Call of Duty, Warcraft, Candy Crush, Tony Hawk, Diablo, Overwatch, Spyro, Hearthstone, Guitar Hero, Crash Bandicoot, StarCraft, and many, many more going forward. As far as Call of Duty is concerned, Microsoft has assured players it's not its intent to pull communities away from PlayStation with the acquisition as it plans to keep the series on PlayStation consoles.
Things havn't been rosey at Activision Blizzard since a July lawsuit by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing was brought against it for allegations of discrimination and sexual harassment. And more recently, another lawsuit was brought against it by a current female employee with claims of discrimination and harassment.