FILE PHOTO: The Activision booth is shown at the E3 2017 Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, California, U.S. June 13, 2017. REUTERS/ Mike Blake
(Reuters) -Quality assurance workers at Blizzard Albany, a unit of games developer Activision Blizzard Inc, on Tuesday announced the formation of a union and have filed for union representation with the labor board, a statement from the workers said.
The Blizzard Albany workers are the second group of Activision Blizzard workers to form a union at the company.
In June, quality assurance workers at Activision's Raven Software studio in Wisconsin became the first union to be officially recognized at Activision Blizzard. (https://reut.rs/3zhXeOr)
"We believe that a direct relationship between the company and its employees is the most productive relationship. The company will be publicly and formally providing a response to the petition to the National Labor Relations Board," a spokesperson from Activision Blizzard said in an emailed statement.
Microsoft, which is in the process of acquiring Activision Blizzard, last month entered into a labor neutrality agreement with Communications Workers of America (CWA). This means that if the deal culminates, Microsoft will allow unionization of workers at the firm.
(Reporting by Yuvraj Malik and Tiyashi Datta in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)
