Twelve Activision Blizzard employees have come together to form a committee that aims to combat discrimination based on gender and sex within the company, according to a report by the Washington Post.
This news comes after a settlement was reached in a sexual harassment and discrimination lawsuit between the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Blizzard last September. The group says that the work to mitigate sex and gender discrimination isn’t done.
A list of demands includes private lactation rooms, the creation of an employee trans network, 12 weeks of paid time off for parental leave with 100 percent compensation, and more to fix the internal corporate culture that Blizzard has been under fire for.
“[Activision Blizzard] have given us the most basic of improvements and it feels like we have fought for those tooth and nail,” Activision quality assurance tester Fabby Garza told the Washington Post. “Stuff like contractors getting converted into full-time employees, stuff like the small raises we’ve gotten. That doesn’t feel like enough. If they want to be shown as an inclusive company that protects the employees, they should accept each and every one of these demands.”
The demands were sent to Activision Blizzard’s CEO Bobby Kotick, chief human resources officer Julie Hodges, and diversity officer Kristen Hines just one day after Raven Software, which consists of a group of quality assurance testers, won its bid to unionize. The vote was won despite Activision Blizzard doing nearly all it could to deter people from voting in favor of unionization.
Those who spoke to the Washington Post expressed that the efforts Activision Blizzard has made so far have left them dissatisfied, which prompted the creation of this committee.
Activision Blizzard is in the process of being purchased by Microsoft. The purchase is expected to go through in June 2023 if there are no roadblocks from government involvement.
