CODE Aims To Unionize Video Game Developers In California
After 2019 exposed conditions of crunch and toxic work environments, CODE is looking to help California-based game workers unionize.
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CODE is working to unionize game development workers to California.
Last year was a tumultuous one for game workers. Last spring, various game developers were accused of fostering a toxic work environment where sexual harassment and unequal pay were commonplace. Riot Games suffered a walkout over these issues, while the focus at other companies turned to the practice of “crunch,” whereby employees would often work 100-hour weeks in the months leading up to a game’s release.
In short, working in the games industry sucked and people have had enough of it. So now, they’re looking to unionize.
The Campaign to Organize Digital Employees (or CODE for short) began on Tuesday. The project is being headed by the Communications Workers of America, a union that works for the benefit of telecommunications employees in America. They’ve partnered with Game Workers Unite, which is a grassroots organization that is fighting for better work conditions for game developers and employees.
“We’ve been watching the amazing organizing of workers across the industry,” said Tom Smith, lead organizer for CODE at the CWA. “And workers themselves reached out to us while doing that amazing self-organizing, and said, ‘Can we do this in partnership with the CWA?’”
So far, the Toronto Chapter of Game Workers Unite has signed a formal partnership agreement with CWA to organize their geographic area, but the goal is to take on the larger game companies that call California their home.
To that end, CODE has hired two organizers to push the initiative. The first is Wes McEnany, a Boston union organizer that pushed for the $15 minimum wage. The second is Emma Kinema, co-founder of Game Workers Unite and leader of the Los Angeles and Orange County chapters.
CODE will look to organize itself more like industrial unions rather than the Hollywood style which sees specific trades branch off to form their own specific unions. However, organizers say they’ll do whatever game devs want so long as it means forming a coherent union.
Expect game developers to push for unionization throughout 2020.
Source: Los Angeles Times
Link Source : https://www.thegamer.com/code-unionize-video-game-developers-california/