Employees of Sega of America Vote to Form Union

Sega of America employees have made the decision to form a union. In a recent election overseen by the National Labor Relations Board, the workers voted overwhelmingly in favor of their unit, known as the Allied Employees Guild Improving Sega (AEGIS-CWA), with a vote of 91-26. Although there were 19 challenged ballots and three void ones, the group has successfully organized and is now officially affiliated with the Communication Workers of America.

The unit employs more than 200 employees in various departments of the company, including brand marketing, games as a service, localization, marketing services, product development, sales and quality assurance teams. While it’s hardly the first gaming union in North America, workers say it’s “the largest multi-department union of organized labor in the entire gaming industry.” However, ZeniMax Workers United/CWA employs approximately 300 ZeniMax Studios quality assurance workers.

AEGIS-CWA plans to work to improve base wages and benefits, increase staffing to “eliminate overtime patterns” and more balanced workloads. Employees are also looking for telecommuting options, clearly defined responsibilities for each role, and more.

Sega voluntarily refused to recognize the union. Management decided “instead to engage with known union-busters in an attempt to spread misinformation, fear and disunity,” quality assurance tester and AEGIS-CWA member Winry Ramsey said previously. Sega must now enter into a union agreement with AEGIS-CWA.

“We are very happy to celebrate the union’s electoral victory as members of AEGIS-CWA. It has been clear since the beginning of this campaign that we all care deeply about our work at Sega,” Sega translator and AEGIS-CWA member Ángel Gómez said. in the statement. “Now, through our union, we are able to protect the parts of our work that we love and strengthen the benefits, pay and job stability of all employees. Together we can build an even better Sega. We hope our victory today will be an inspiration to other workers in the game industry. Together we can raise the standards for all workers in the industry.”