A GoFundMe has been created to support employees participating in the latest work stoppage at Activision Blizzard. This latest walkout comes after the company announced a round of layoffs in the QA department of one of its subsidiaries, Raven Software, right before the holiday season. Though initially contained to the Wisconsin-based studio, the walkout spread to QA departments in Texas and Minnesota with many other employees not in QA departments joining in solidarity.
“Funds raised from this donation effort will contribute to offsetting wages lost from the work stoppage,” says the GoFundMe organized by Jessica Gonzalez, a Blizzard employee known for her activism and outspoken criticism of her employer, “as well as to assist in the potential relocation of Raven Software workers who were forced to move without financial assistance at the insistence of Activision Blizzard.”
After news of the Raven Software layoffs broke, Treyarch, another Activision Blizzard studio known for developing several games in the Call of Duty franchise, converted all of its temporary staff to full-time employees. The workers involved in the Raven Software walkout are hoping for the same.
According to a report by The Washington Post, unionization efforts are ramping up behind these walkouts with workers being asked to sign union authorization cards. Activision Blizzard employee advocacy group A Better ABK has worked with the CWA — a digital media and tech organizer — since news of rampant sexual harassment, discrimination, and abuse at the company broke this summer.
The GoFundMe is asking for $1 million in funds and has raised almost $40,000 since its creation early this morning.
