Activision Blizzard investors vote versus union policy

Investors in Activision Blizzard rejected a proposal for the publisher to adopt a non-interference policy with labour unions.

When abstentions and broker non-votes were factored out, 65% of votes cast defeated the proposition, while 35% were voted in favour.

The AFL-CIO Equity Index Fund, the investment arm of the union affiliated with the Communication Workers of America, had first forwarded the proposal to Activision Blizzard to organise QA staff at the company’s Raven Software and Blizzard Albany facilities.

The non-binding proposal would have required Activision Blizzard “to embrace and openly divulge a policy on its dedication to appreciate the global human rights of flexibility of association and cumulative bargaining.”

The AFL-CIO Equity Index Fund sought such a commitment from the company in order to apply to its global operations, which would include a promise to refrain from interfering with employees’ efforts to unionise and a prohibition on management weakening employees’ rights to unionise or pressuring them not to organise.

The proposal aimed to have the company adopt a system to monitor for and punish violations of that policy.

Because Activision Blizzard “highly supports staff member liberty of association and has actually demonstrated history of great faith cumulative bargaining,” and because such a policy would “basically weaken the Company’s complimentary speech rights,” the company urged shareholders to vote against the proposition.

The CWA has complained to the National Labour Relations Board (NLRB) about the company’s retaliation against employees who seek to form a union, threats made against employees who discuss wages and working conditions, and other violations of employees’ rights.

After Activision Blizzard agreed to publish a company-wide notification informing employees of their rights and to reverse disciplinary action versus among the employees, the CWA withdrew some of the issues it had raised.