Activision Blizzard Employees Stage Mass Walkouts On The First Year Of DFEH’s Lawsuit
It’s been one year to date since the gaming community was rocked by news that Activision Blizzard, one of the biggest companies in the video game industry, was being sued by the state of California. The massive lawsuit was filed by the state’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing for alleged sexual harassment and gender discrimination within the company, exposing the rampant frat boy culture that reached all the way to its top brass.
The DFEH’s lawsuit is still in litigation with trials set to begin in February 2023, although lots of stuff has happened since it was first filed, including more lawsuits, federal investigations, mass firings, executives jumping ship, evidence tampering, settlements, California’s governor allegedly meddling in the affairs, multiple employee walkouts, employees unionizing and Activision Blizzard doing everything to stop them, and Microsoft’s pending acquisition of the company.
To mark the lawsuit’s anniversary, Activision Blizzard employees staged a series of walkouts earlier today to convince the company’s leaders to allow fully-remote work, provide complete reproductive healthcare, and provide financial support to employees in states with discriminatory legislation. The employees also brought attention to previously unmet demands regarding sexual harassment policies, a labor-neutrality agreement, and anti-discrimination committees.
Today hundreds of ABK employees across the US are walking out to demand an end to gender inequity. With hostile legislation against reproductive rights and the LGBTQ+ community, we believe it's important to act now to create a safe workplace for marginalized workers. pic.twitter.com/jWAEFqcVgb
— ABetterABK 💙 ABK Workers Alliance (@ABetterABK) July 21, 2022
