Hundreds of Bethesda workers hold one-day strike over Microsoft outsourcing, remote policies

The largest video games union in the United States, The Communications Workers of America, is going on strike today. The union was recently formed inside the Microsoft-owned Bethesda studios. The union says it is taking action because Microsoft is not listening to its concerns over remote work and outsourcing.

As reported by Inverse, hundreds of staff in four ZeniMax Studios offices who work on Fallout, Elder Scrolls, and other Bethesda games will be having a one-day walkout from 10 am to 6 pm today, November 13.

The union is seeking a better remote work policy than what Microsoft offers right now. Currently, studio staff need to be at the offices at least two days a week. Requests for a more flexible schedule have accomplished nothing, according to the union, and it fears that the schedule may increase office days in the future.

"They have continually given us their first proposal again and again, and it’s become obvious that our different mobilization tactics have not worked," says quality assurance test lead Rhyanna Eichner.

The amount of quality assurance testers Microsoft is outsourcing is another worry of the union. Its members think that if the trend continues, the company might move to cut down the full-time staff it currently employs for the role at ZeniMax Studios.

"Striking isn’t fun or ideal, but there’s a satisfaction in having a concrete physical action we can do to fight for better work conditions," adds senior quality assurance tester Juniper Dowell. “Hopefully, we can convince them to stop dragging their feet and meet us at the table."

"We respect our employees’ rights to express their point of view as they have done today," says a statement made by Microsoft today regarding the union action. "We will continue to listen and address their concerns at the bargaining table."