Whether it’s the company’s acquisition by Microsoft, the ongoing discrimination lawsuit, or Raven Software’s battle to form a union, Activision Blizzard can’t seem to stay out of the news lately. In the midst of the various legal battles the publisher is waging is law firm Reed Smith, representing the company and, it seems, sharing valuable tips on how to identify and quash potential unionizing behavior at the office.
Activist, organizer, and senior quality engineer Jessica Gonzalez shared a screenshot from what appears to be a presentation on union-busting available on the firm’s website (the link no longer leads anywhere — whether this is because the file has been deleted or because the firm has shut down access to certain files from the website is unclear). The slide lists “types of employees unions exploit,” listing some comically petty and in some cases bafflingly old-timey descriptors for potential agitators.
Employees who could be seen as “footloose and fancy-free,” a “malingerer,” or simply a “whiner and complainer” should apparently watch out for predatory unions. Another former ABK employee noted another slide, showcasing the types of supervisors who “inspire unionization.” It features hits such as “bossy, pushy or on ego trip,” “DOES NOT TAKE A STAND,” and “self-serving or dishonest.”
Reed Smith is representing Activision in the ongoing NLRB hearing regarding the establishment of the Game Workers Alliance. Union-busting rhetoric like this makes it perfectly clear where the firm — and by extension the higher-ups at Activision Blizzard — stands on the subject of unionization.
