Workers at Riot Games cheer for a speaker during a staged walk out at Riot Games to protest the ... [+]
The Communication Workers of America (CWA) have announced a new campaign which will support tech and games industry workers in their efforts to organize and bring change to working conditions.
The Campaign to Organize Digital Employees (CODE-CWA), launched Tuesday, seeks to address growing concerns in the tech industry, according to a press release. In game development alone, issues surrounding mandatory overtime, unequal pay, discrimination and sexism, and mistreatment of contract workers have been all too frequent in the past few years— even at big name companies, including Riot Games, NetherRealm Studios, and Rockstar Games.
CWA President Chris Shelton commented on the initiative via the press release.
“Companies in the technology and game industries have gotten away with avoiding accountability for far too long,” Shelton said. “Workers in these industries are exposing the reality behind the rhetoric. This initiative will help tech and game workers reach the next level in their efforts to exercise their right to join together and demand change.”
The CWA hired Game Workers Unite’s Emma Kinema to lead the efforts in the new initiative for its West Coast base. Wes McEnany, one of the leaders of the Fight for 15 campaign, which strives for the federal minimum wage to be raised to $15, will take head up East Coast efforts.
“Workers in the tech and game industries face unique challenges, and CWA’s expertise taking on massive corporations in the technology, media and telecom sector is a big asset as workers build genuine power to address these challenges,” Kinema said, via the press release. “CWA is a member-led union with a demonstrated commitment to bold movement building, engagement in social issues, and progressive union democracy. The launch of this new initiative marks a watershed moment for workers in the tech and game industries.”
For more information, including how to join the campaign, check out the official website for the campaign.
