ZeniMax is a video game production company with studios in Maryland and Texas known for its popular games such as Elder Scrolls, DOOM, Quake Champions and Fallout. ZeniMax Workers United/CWA is the first studio at Microsoft to secure union representation, and the largest group of union-represented quality assurance testers at any U.S. game studio.

Quality assurance workers across ZeniMax have been organizing for months to positively transform ZeniMax for the benefit of workers, the company, and the players who enjoy its games. Workers began signing union authorization cards in November 2022 and started the official voting process through a confidential online portal that opened on Friday, December 2 and closed on December 31. The unit includes all quality assurance employees in the U.S. across ZeniMax's various studios.

“It's difficult to express in words just how much winning our union matters to us. We've been working so hard to get here that it would be impossible not to be excited. We know this is not the end of our hard work, but reaching this milestone gives us faith that when workers stand together, we can accomplish anything we set our minds to,” said Dylan Burton, a senior quality assurance tester in Dallas.

#RockvilleMD #unionOrganizing #techWorkers

Milwaukee, WI – Workers from multiple active union organizing campaigns marched through downtown Milwaukee on October 27 to rally support for the wave of new union organizing. Nearly 100 workers and supporters from the organizing campaigns at the Milwaukee Art Museum, Colectivo Coffee, Wonderstate Coffee, Marquette University and Captel joined forces for an impressive display of union strength. The march took the streets, stopping by several workplaces where union drives led primarily by young workers are ongoing.

Speaking outside the Milwaukee Art Museum, Brittany Walker, a museum employee, explained why museum workers are voting “yes” to form a union with IAM Lodge 66.

“Solidarity means everything, this fight that we've taken on has proven so much in terms of loyalty and camaraderie, and what it means to fight to the finish. I want to thank you all for also taking the same stand because it's not easy, but the fight, the result, and the reward is worth the risk.”

Another young worker, Molly Kiefer, took the mic to announce that her coworkers at Wonderstate Coffee are organizing a union with Teamsters Local 344.

“We are also unionizing. We are really excited,” said Keifer, as the crowd erupted in a cheer of support. “We feel so supported, so thank you all.”

#MilwaukeeWI #PeoplesStruggles #unionOrganizing

Fight Back! interviewed Sarah Buchner, a call center worker at SITEL Corporation in Asheville, North Carolina. The New South is notorious for low-wages and big corporations calling all the shots, but brave new leaders like Buchner are arising to organize unions. Their yearlong struggle for respect, better benefits and good wages is gaining power and impacting the local area.

Fight Back!: Tell us about SITEL and your job.

Sarah Buchner: SITEL outsources calls for Fortune 500 companies, with 29 call centers in the U.S. and many more overseas in 25 countries. In Asheville, SITEL handles calls for two major U.S. banks and a health insurance company. I take phone calls for the health insurance client, helping small employers and consumers with their billing. We are evaluated on a number of things, such as following a script and how quickly and accurately calls are documented. We are under a lot of pressure and constantly monitored.

Fight Back!: Please describe the conditions, wages, and benefits.

Buchner: The turnover rate at SITEL is outrageous. It doesn’t have to be, but people leave for better jobs. That is the basic reason we want a union, to have good jobs. Politicians championed SITEL as a major job creator in 2010 with 600 workers, but numbers are down. There are lots of empty seats in our work area now.

Workers start at $8.00 an hour and top out at $9.50. At six months we are offered healthcare plans that are costly, with a high deductable. At $9.50, it takes four hours of work to cover the co-pay for one doctor visit. Many just can’t afford it. SITEL also offers a 401K-retirement account. I recently received a letter from the company explaining, “this chart assumes a $30,000 annual salary.” This is a slap in the face. Working full time, I make about two thirds of that. I’m not even on the chart.

The Friday in between paychecks is dubbed “Broke Friday.” Many workers are on food stamps because SITEL refuses to pay a living wage. SITEL’s solution to this is a “food pantry” that they encourage us to donate to as a resource for our co-workers.

Fight Back!: What sparked the struggle to unionize in Asheville?

Buchner: Things started in July of 2011 with a management memo announcing the switching around of the men and women’s bathrooms, to construct more men’s. The restrooms are on each end of a very long building with cubicles to seat hundreds of workers between them. On the left side, women were reduced from eight stalls down to one stall and two urinals. This situation dragged on for months, and many women, some with disabilities, were losing their 15-minute breaks because of the long distance to use the other bathroom. They got upset enough to start a petition. One worker contacted the IBEW union Local 238 and they filed an unfair labor practice against SITEL. Management then threatened to fire employees for standing up to them and voicing legitimate concerns.

SITEL immediately hired a union-busting law firm from South Carolina, Ogletree Deakins. Management began holding small anti-union meetings with all employees, giving them an unsigned memo. Part of it reads, “There is nothing that a union could deliver that can't be obtained by open and frank discussion between the Company and our employees. We have a real open door policy that works. My door and all management doors are always open.” Still people begged management to fix the bathroom situation and were ignored, until May of 2012. Almost a year! So we learned the only way for workers to achieve dignity and respect is to organize and take a seat at the table with one voice. SITEL knows this, and is doing everything in its power to spread misinformation and fear.

Fight Back!: What are the demands of the workers?

Buchner: Our demands are for higher wages, better benefits, and dignity and respect. We deserve to be treated as individuals with different abilities and needs. Instead management views us as a number on spreadsheet, reprimanding us about our call statistics and for spending too much time trying to help our callers. We have very little opportunity to advance and be recognized for our dedication to the work we do. With the bathrooms, SITEL management was not taking us seriously until we came together to stand up for our rights, which is exactly what unionizing allows employees to do.

Fight Back!: What are the latest developments in this campaign?

Buchner: Management is increasingly hostile, removing union literature from people’s desks. A new policy limits workers to five personal items. This includes books, magazines, and photos of families and friends, even children’s artwork. It is worse in other areas, where not even magazines are allowed.

Sometimes we feel like verbal punching bags. We take stressful calls from customers who are unhappy about a fee or a rate increase and having these little comforts on our desks can make a big difference. Employees are growing angrier, realizing that SITEL does not have our best interests at heart. The IBEW union has filed several unfair labor practice claims against SITEL and there will be hearings in August. One alleges SITEL maintains and enforces an illegal social media policy.

Fight Back!: North Carolina has few unions – how does this impact your organizing?

Buchner: We are in the South. I’ve had dozens of conversations with people who do not know what a union is, but that is changing. Some even thought unionizing was illegal in North Carolina. I grew up here and did not learn about unions until I attended college. It is something that was glossed over in high school and the perception of unions boils down to what people hear in the corporate media. It is a real challenge to combat this, but more and more of our coworkers join the union drive and have a positive outlook. It is exciting! They are realizing that alone they must accept the current working conditions and wages, but united we can have a voice to rival even a giant company like SITEL. There is power in a union!

For more info: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Organize-Sitel-Asheville/155407664576975

#AshevilleNC #SITEL #callCenters #unionOrganizing #IBEW238 #InternationalBrotherhoodOfElectricalWorkers #NorthCarolina