Zenimax Online Studios workers unionise

Workers at Elder Scrolls Online developer Zenimax Online Studios have unionised, Communications Workers of America has announced.

The union, called ZOS United-CWA, has been recognised by parent company Microsoft and is made of 461 members, including “web developers, designers, engineers, and graphic artists,” the announcement said.

A majority of the unionised workers are based in Maryland, but they are also located across the US in California, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin.

This is the latest union to be created via CWA’s Campaign to Organize Digital Employees (CODE-CWA), which the organisation says has seen over 6,000 workers unionise since 2020.

Senior motion graphics artist and ZOS United-CWA member Alyssa Gobelle commented: “By coming together and forming a union, we’re able to take a powerful step forward in ensuring a better future for ourselves and for our families, to create protections against layoffs and workplace exploitation, and to provide additional layers of support for workers beyond what FMLA and workplace policies already provide.”

Principal economy designer and ZOS United-CWA member John Hartzell added: “Regardless of your studio, your title, or where you’re from, unions work to benefit us all.”

Hundreds of staff at sister company Bethesda Game Studios also unionised earlier this year.