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CODE-CWA

The Campaign to Organize Digital Employees or CODE-CWA is a project launched by the Communications Workers of America to unionize tech and video game workers in January 2020.[1] It sprung out of conversations with Game Workers Unite (GWU) and employed at least two full-time staff, including GWU co-founder Emma Kinema and veteran SEIU organizer Wes McEnany.[1] In 2022, Jessica Gonzalez joined, a former Activision Blizzard QA tester.[2][3]

CODE-CWA campaigns have been launched at a range of workplaces such as major multinational tech companies, small startups, video game studios, media companies, AAA game publishers, worker co-operatives, and table-top game companies.[4] As of August 2022, CODE-CWA has organized over 3000 union members in various sub-industries of the tech sector across over 25 bargaining units in the last two years of organizing.[5]

Campaigns

See also

  • Alphabet Workers Union
  • Game Workers Unite
  • Google worker organization
  • Tech unions in the United States
  • Tech Workers Coalition

External links

References

  1. Sam Dean. Major union launches campaign to organize video game and tech workers Los Angeles Times, 2020-01-07, retrieved 2021-01-05^
  2. Bryant Francis. Devs protest Activision Blizzard's response to abortion rights crisis Game Developer, 2022-07-22, retrieved 2022-12-25^
  3. Rebecca Klar. Changing the game in gaming The Hill, 2022-07-18, retrieved 2022-12-25^
  4. Campaign to Organize Digital Employees (CODE-CWA) Organizing Campaigns, 2019-11-25, retrieved 2021-11-11^
  5. Not Playing Around: QA Testers at Blizzard Albany Organize with CODE-CWA Strikewave, September 2022, retrieved 2022-09-01^
  6. Jacob Kastrenakes. Glitch lays off 'substantial number of employees' to cut costs The Verge, 2020-05-22, retrieved 2020-05-26^
  7. Brian Heater. Online code collaboration tool Glitch votes to unionize Tech Crunch, March 13, 2020, retrieved 2020-12-23^
  8. Zoe Schiffer. Glitch workers sign tech's first collective bargaining agreement The Verge, 2021-03-02, retrieved 2021-03-21^
  9. Jacob Kastrenakes. Glitch acquired by cloud service provider Fastly The Verge, 2022-05-19, retrieved 2022-11-12^
  10. Nicole Carpenter. These game writers made history by going on strike — and winning Polygon, 2020-08-11, retrieved 2021-12-22^
  11. Sean Miller. Employees At Democratic Firm Blue State Unionized By CODE-CWA Campaigns and Elections, October 21, 2020, retrieved 2020-12-31^
  12. Aarian Marshall. Google's New Union Is Already Addressing Political Issues Wired, 2021-01-12^
  13. Kate Conger. Hundreds of Google Employees Unionize, Culminating Years of Activism The New York Times, 2021-01-04, retrieved 2021-01-05^
  14. Nitasha Tiku. Google workers launch unconventional union with help of Communications Workers of America Washington Post, retrieved 2021-01-05^
  15. Kim Lyons. Google Fiber contractors vote to join union The Verge, 2022-03-25, retrieved 2023-09-10^
  16. Amanda Silberling. YouTube Music contractors win historic union vote TechCrunch, 2023-04-26, retrieved 2023-09-10^
  17. Kerry Flynn. Unions are becoming ubiquitous in digital media. Medium is the latest CNN, February 11, 2021, retrieved 2021-02-21^
  18. Medium Workers Board the Union Train Gizmodo, February 11, 2021, retrieved 2021-02-21^
  19. Zoe Schiffer. Medium union effort stalls, falling one vote short of majority The Verge, 2021-03-01, retrieved 2021-03-21^
  20. Anna Kramer. Mobilize app workers have unionized, adding momentum to CWA's tech organizing efforts Protocol — The people, power and politics of tech, 2021-03-15, retrieved 2021-11-11^
  21. We Build NPR. We, the rank and file employees of NPR's Digital Media Division (Content Operations, Design, Engineering, Online Support, and Product Management), are proud to announce we are joining our broadcast colleagues in NABET-CWA Local 31. April 26, 2021, retrieved February 18, 2023^
  22. Katie Robertson. New York Times tech workers form a union. The New York Times, 2021-04-13, retrieved 2021-11-11^
  23. Shrugging Off Anti-Union Campaign, New York Times Tech Workers See a Chance to Make History In These Times, June 29, 2021, retrieved 2021-11-11^
  24. 600+ New York Times Tech Workers File for Union Certification! Organizing Campaigns, 2021-07-23, retrieved 2021-11-11^
  25. New York Times tech workers escalate union conflict with half-day walkout Poynter, 2021-08-11, retrieved 2021-11-11^
  26. Maxwell Tani. NYT Lawyers Accidentally Send Private Strategy Memo to Staff Union The Daily Beast, 2021-08-12, retrieved 2021-11-11^
  27. Katie Robertson. New York Times Tech Workers Vote to Certify Union The New York Times, 2022-03-03^
  28. Brody Ford. Mapbox Faces Union Drive as Labor Organizers Extend Push in Tech Bloomberg, June 15, 2021, retrieved June 15, 2021^
  29. U.S. workers of SoftBank-backed Mapbox form union, seek recognition Reuters, 2021-06-15, retrieved 2021-06-16^
  30. Union Drive at SoftBank-Backed Mapbox Fails at the Ballot Box Yahoo Finance, 2021-08-05, retrieved 2024-03-23^
  31. Chris Rodrigo. Workers at progressive data firm Catalist unionize The Hill, 2021-06-16, retrieved 2021-12-22^
  32. Bobby Allyn. Change.Org Workers Form A Union, Giving Labor Activists Another Win In Tech NPR, June 30, 2021, retrieved June 30, 2021^
  33. Workers at EveryAction Become Largest Progressive Tech Union Communication Workers of America, September 3, 2021, retrieved September 6, 2021^
  34. Ash Parrish. Activision Blizzard sued again, this time for labor violations The Verge, September 14, 2021, retrieved September 15, 2021^
  35. Kellen Browning. Activision Blizzard Is Sued by California Over Workplace Culture The New York Times, July 21, 2021, retrieved September 15, 2021^
  36. Nicole Carpenter. Call of Duty: Warzone QA workers continue walkout in protest of layoffs Polygon, December 6, 2021, retrieved December 10, 2021^
  37. Nicole Carpenter. Activision Blizzard Staff Announce Start of New Strike Action [Update] IGN, December 9, 2021, retrieved December 10, 2021^
  38. Nicole Carpenter. Activision Blizzard workers group announces strike fund, begins unionization effort Polygon, December 9, 2021, retrieved December 10, 2021^
  39. Charlie Hall. Workers at Paizo unionize, a first for the tabletop role-playing game industry Polygon, 2021-10-14, retrieved 2021-11-11^
  40. Andrew Limbong. Arts workers across the country are unionizing NPR, November 29, 2021, retrieved February 18, 2023^
  41. Nicole Carpenter. Pathfinder, Starfinder publisher voluntarily recognizes workers' union Polygon, 2021-10-22, retrieved 2021-11-11^
  42. Indie Studio Forms First Video Game Union In The Country Kotaku, December 15, 2021, retrieved 2021-12-22^
  43. Nicole Carpenter. North America has its first video game union at Vodeo Games Polygon, 2021-12-15, retrieved 2021-12-22^
  44. Shannon Liao. Activision Blizzard employees at Raven Software ask management to recognize new union The Washington Post, January 21, 2022, retrieved January 21, 2022^
  45. Shannon Liao. Raven Software employees win union election The Washington Post, May 23, 2022, retrieved August 1, 2022^
  46. Josh Eidelson. Apple Atlanta Workers Drop Bid for Union Vote Next Week, Claiming Intimidation Bloomberg News, 2022-05-27, retrieved 2022-05-29^
  47. Mitchell Clark. Another Apple Store union election is brewing The Verge, 1 September 2022, retrieved 2 September 2022^
  48. Ian Kullgren. Apple Store Workers in Kentucky Announce Organizing Campaign Bloomberg Law, 25 May 2022, retrieved 2022-05-29^
  49. James Vincent. Apple accused of union busting in its stores for the second time this week The Verge, 19 May 2022, retrieved 19 May 2022^
  50. Nicole Carpenter. Blizzard QA workers from Vicarious Visions announce plan to unionize Polygon, July 19, 2022, retrieved August 1, 2022^
  51. Ash Parrish. Another Blizzard QA department wins union vote The Verge, 2022-12-02, retrieved 2022-12-06^
  52. Nicole Carpenter. Indie company Tender Claws is the next game studio to unionize Polygon, July 22, 2022, retrieved August 1, 2022^
  53. Tender Claws Human Union. Update: @TenderClaws management has signed our voluntary recognition agreement, making TC the 4th video game company in North America with a recognized union! 🎉 This huge step forward clears the way for us to bargain a strong, fair union contract ✊🦀 August 1, 2022, retrieved 2022-08-01^
  54. Noam Scheiber, Kellen Browning. Video Game Workers at Microsoft and Activision Take Steps to Unionize The New York Times, 2022-12-05, retrieved 2022-12-06^
  55. Ash Parrish. Sega of America is the latest video game studio to organize The Verge, Vox Media, April 24, 2023^
  56. Organizing Update Communication Workers of America, April 27, 2023^
  57. It's been 4 weeks since we launched and we are happy to announce that WE HAVE OUR ELECTION DATE! ✊ On June 16, 200+ workers from across Sega of America's Irvine AND Burbank offices will begin the mail-in election process. #UnionizeSEGA^
  58. Nicole Carpenter. Sega of America workers win union vote Polygon, Vox Media, July 10, 2023^
  59. Video Game Workers Organizing with CWA Continue to Set New Industry Standards Communication Workers of America, March 27, 2024^