Company that provided quality assurance testing to Activision accused of unfair practices after firing 160 people

The Communications Workers of America (CWA), one of the largest US unions, has filed an unfair labor practice complaint against Microsoft supplier Lionbridge Technologies.

According to the CWA, Lionbridge fired an entire Idaho-based team, 160 people, after they engaged in union-related activities. This team, the CWA said, performed quality assurance testing for Activision.

Additionally, the CWA said Lionbridge offered workers a severance package that “required them to agree to overly broad confidentiality terms and waive rights protected by the National Labor Relations Act.” The CWA says the U.S. National Labor Relations Board has deemed the practice illegal.

Those affected were reportedly told their dismissal was due at the end of their project, but the CWA said others on the same project elsewhere had kept their jobs. He noted that those in Mexico and Poland “continue to work,” despite what Lionbridge told the Idaho team about ending the project.

This is not the first time that the Microsoft supplier has been accused of engaging in what the CWA describes as “union busting”. The same thing happened in 2016, when Lionbridge fired union members in Bellevue, Washington. This particular round of layoffs reportedly took place “shortly after workers finalized an initial collective contract with the company,” with the CWA saying: “This unit also provided subcontract work to Microsoft.”

The CWA now wants Microsoft to hold its contractors like Lionbridge to the same standards the company has set for itself. Two years ago, Microsoft signed a labor neutrality agreement with CWA, which would take effect 60 days after the closing of its then-pending acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Earlier this month, the CWA and Microsoft announced that they had extended their labor neutrality agreement to ZeniMax Media Inc. workers.

Eurogamer has contacted Microsoft and Activision for further comment on today’s report.