Activision Blizzard CAO sends out union-busting message to employees

Issues continue to snowball in the ongoing Activision Blizzard scandal, while the higher-ups in the company try their best to do some damage control. For a change of pace, the executive in the hot seat on this occasion is not CEO Bobby Kotick but rather chief administrative officer Brian Bulatao.

In the wake of calls — supported by the Communications Workers of America union — for the workers of Activision Blizzard to unionize, Bulatao sent out an email to employees this morning addressing the issue. Opening with examples of the progress the company has made following the numerous allegations of harassment, discrimination, and unfair business practices, he then moved on to the question of unionizing efforts.

Though he emphasized that the company supports its employees’ decision on whether to form a union, he went on to claim that moving forward with the process would effectively turn over all employees’ negotiating abilities to CWA. While this is technically true — CWA would be the primary negotiating body, wielding the bargaining power of all of its constituents — Bulatao appeared to deliberately and cynically present this as a bad thing, suggesting that a body in which workers democratically fight for and vote on important issues is somehow more malicious than a corporate board of executives that doesn’t offer employees a seat at the table.

The email had predictably negative responses from many workers, who pointed out the easily-recognizable union-busting language and talking points. However, Bulatao’s email could still influence any workers who were still on the fence about the idea of unionizing.