Raven Software QA Workers Secure First Union Contract with Microsoft After Three-Year Battle

Raven Software

Quality assurance (QA) workers at Call of Duty developer Raven Software have officially ratified their first union contract with Microsoft.

Raven Software’s QA union, The Game Workers Alliance (GWA), is part of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) — one of the largest labor unions in the U.S., representing workers across multiple industries.

Here’s the sequence of events:

• December 2021 — Raven Software, then under Activision Blizzard, laid off a group of QA workers. This sparked a walkout and weeks-long strike.

• January 2022 — QA workers at Raven announced they were unionizing under the name Game Workers Alliance (GWA), with official backing and guidance from CWA.

• May 2022 — The union won its election, becoming Activision Blizzard’s first recognized union.

• 2022–2025 — While Microsoft later acquired Activision Blizzard, GWA-CWA continued to push for a contract, with CWA providing legal, organizational, and bargaining support throughout negotiations.

What started as a response to layoffs three years ago eventually turned into a prolonged campaign for better pay, fair treatment, and stronger workplace protections.

Under the new agreement, 19 Raven QA members will see a guaranteed 10% wage increase over two years, with additional raises tied to merit and promotions. The contract also includes permanent remote work options for most QA roles, strict limits on mandatory overtime, expanded disability accommodations, layoff protections such as severance pay and recall rights, and a clear promotion process.

Bargaining committee member and QA tester Erin Hall said the deal was the result of persistence and collective effort. “From day one, we made it a priority to include every voice in the room, and the contract we came out with reflects what we need—better pay, real career paths, and protection from burnout,” Hall explained. “It’s a contract that actually values the work QA does.”

CWA District 4 Vice President Linda L. Hinton praised the agreement, saying it sets “new standards” for QA testers across the industry by addressing crunch culture and securing sustainable career paths.

The win follows similar progress at ZeniMax Media, another Microsoft-owned studio, where over 300 union members ratified a contract earlier this year.