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ZeniMax Workers United-CWA announced a tentative first-contract agreement with Microsoft on May 30, 2025, after nearly two years of bargaining. The deal covered more than 300 quality-assurance workers and publicly included wage increases, minimum salaries, job protections, grievance procedures, QA crediting, and an earlier agreement on workplace AI. The tentative deal did not remain tentative: CWA reported that workers ratified a contract in late June 2025.
Who the agreement covered
ZeniMax Workers United-CWA represents more than 300 quality-assurance (QA) workers at Microsoft subsidiary ZeniMax Media. CWA identifies the bargaining unit as workers represented by Locals 2100, 2108, and 6215, with members in Maryland and Texas. CWA said the union formed in January 2023 as the first video-game studio union at Microsoft. CWA’s May 30, 2025 announcement described the first-contract deal as the result of nearly two years of bargaining.
What the contract publicly included
CWA’s initial announcement said the agreement provided across-the-board wage increases, new minimum salaries, protections against arbitrary dismissal, grievance procedures, and a policy for crediting QA workers’ contributions. A June 5 summary from CWA District 3 also described position upgrades, job-security measures, and professional development.
The public summaries do not disclose the wage schedule, percentage raises, minimum salary amounts, contract duration, or the complete contract language. Those details cannot be inferred from the descriptions of the deal.
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What the agreement says about workplace AI
The first contract incorporated an earlier workplace-AI agreement, according to CWA. Under that agreement, Microsoft would notify the union if AI implementation may affect members; the union could then request bargaining over those effects. CWA reported the earlier agreement in December 2023, alongside the incorporation of contract workers into the union. The 2023 CWA report described 77 contract workers: 23 moving into permanent full-time roles and 54 into temporary roles. It also cited paid holidays and paid sick leave.
From tentative deal to ratified contract
On May 30, 2025, CWA said member explanation meetings and a ratification vote were expected to conclude by June 20. The June 5 district update said meetings and a vote were being scheduled. A later CWA report states that ZeniMax workers ratified a contract in late June 2025. That February 2026 report establishes the later status; the May announcement should therefore be understood as tentative when issued, not as the final outcome.
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How this fits into Microsoft game-worker organizing
CWA said in its May 2025 announcement that more than 2,000 Microsoft video-game workers had joined the union under a neutrality agreement. That is the union’s figure, and it refers to a broader organizing context rather than the size of the ZeniMax bargaining unit. A separate 2022 CWA announcement described a Microsoft-CWA neutrality framework that allowed covered employees to communicate with union representatives, choose representation through a streamlined process, keep their choice confidential if desired, and use expedited arbitration for unresolved disputes. The announcement specified Activision Blizzard coverage after the acquisition closed; it should not be treated as a summary of ZeniMax’s contract terms. CWA’s 2022 announcement provides that background.
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What remains undisclosed
- Exact raises, salary floors, and wage classifications are not stated in the cited public summaries.
- The contract’s length and full text are not stated in those summaries.
- The available descriptions identify categories of protections and benefits, but do not provide the detailed procedures or eligibility rules behind each provision.
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