CODE-CWA Newsletter: February 21, 2025
French Video Game Workers Launch One Day Strike
Travailleurs, unissez-vous! On February 13, more than 1,000 video game workers in France — represented by Syndicat des Travailleurs du Jeu Vidéo (SJTV) — organized an industry-wide general strike across nine major French cities to demand the following:
- Preservation of jobs, the cancellation of layoffs and the accountability of decision-makers who must first make sacrifices themselves when their companies face difficulties;
- Companies’ full transparency about their financial situation and economic health, so that workers can plan their future, and profit sharing with workers;
- Consideration for work-related health and personal life, through work reorganisation and the reduction of work hours;
- Direct participation of workers in decision-making at their companies in order to avoid management errors and control the proper use of private and public funding.
“Our salaries are nowhere near the French averages,” said Vincent Cambedouzou, VGWU union representative at Ubisoft Paris. “The average age of those in the video game industry does not increase. Everyone leaves after a few years, somewhat jaded and disillusioned by the thought of having pursued a great profession, only to leave thinking: what we produced was really not impressive, did not appeal to players, and I can understand why.” In 2024 alone, 15,000 layoffs shook the global video game industries— a record number.
Support SJTV’s grève bundle (“strike fund”) here.
Join us on Saturday, March 1 and Saturday, March 15 at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET for an introduction to unions and organizing conversations training. All levels of experience are welcome and encouraged!
Check out the CODE-CWA organizer training program for even more upcoming trainings.
Blizzard Workers Form a Video Game Union in Spain
¡Cuando luchamos, ganamos! Earlier this month, workers at Blizzard Spain — represented by Coordinadora Sindical del Videojuego (CSVI) and La Confederación General del Trabajo (CGT) — have unionized to defend workers’ rights, guarantee fair working conditions, and to ensure that no one is left behind.
“Together we are unstoppable, and together we can transform the video game industry into a safer and more equitable place for everyone,” said the union.
Follow CSVI on Twitter and Bluesky!
AWU-CWA Files ULP Against GlobalLogic
Earlier this week, AWU-CWA filed an unfair labor practice charge with the NLRB against an Alphabet vendor’s subsidiary, GlobalLogic, for illegally firing a worker over wage discussions, and restricting other workers from discussing their working conditions.
Workers at Alamo Drafthouse Fight Back Against Unfair Firings
CWA Local 7777 members at the Alamo Drafthouse theater in Denver, Colo., walked off the job on Valentine’s Day in response to the company’s unfair layoffs and bad faith bargaining. The workers, who are bargaining their first contract, returned to work on February 18.
International media giant Sony acquired the theater chain last year. CWA members at the Denver theater contend that the firings have no financial justification and that during past slow periods workers accepted reduced hours rather than layoffs. “The company’s own financial data contradicts the need for these layoffs,” said Claude Grossi, who is a member of the bargaining committee. “Their outlook is optimistic, and box office projections show significant industry growth. This is not about economic hardships. It’s about corporate interests overtaking worker rights.”
Workers were terminated with little to no warning and neither severance, due process, nor opportunity to appeal. Since returning, workers have been denied their regular shifts, throwing personal schedules into disarray. CWA Local 7777 has filed a separate unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board over the blatantly retaliatory scheduling.
Alamo Drafthouse workers at two UAW Local 2179-represented locations in New York City also went on strike last week and have filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board citing bad faith bargaining during negotiations. The UAW members remain on strike.
You can send a letter to Alamo Drafthouse and owner Sony Pictures Entertainment via a worker-led letter-writing campaign and support fired union siblings through their GoFundMe page.
February 11, 1968 – Over 1,300 sanitation workers – many of them African Americans – began a 64-day strike in Memphis to fight for pay raises, grievance procedures, equipment improvements, and union recognition. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., came into town in March and played an active role in non-violent activations before being assassinated shortly after.
February 13, 2008 – 12,000 Hollywood writers returned to work following a successful three-month strike against television and motion picture studios, securing compensation for their work that gets streamed on the internet.
CODE-CWA Newsletter: February 21, 2025