ZeniMax Workers United has “overwhelmingly voted” to authorise a strike against Microsoft.

More than 94% of the union has agreed to the call for a strike should contract negotiations break down.

ZeniMax Workers United, which is part of the Communication Workers of America (CWA), formed in 2023 and represents over 300 quality assurance workers in Maryland and Texas.

It has been negotiating a first contract with Microsoft for nearly two years, and members of the bargaining committee are continuing to fight for “better wages, workplace improvements, a lack of remote work options and the company’s replacement of in-house quality assurance work with outsourced labour without notifying the union.”

“Underpayment and costly RTO initiatives have caused many of us to put our lives on pause because our income does not match even the rising cost of living in cities where ZeniMax insists we live and work to maintain employment,” said union member and senior QA tester Zachary Armstrong.

“None of us wishes it had come to this, but Microsoft and ZeniMax continue to demonstrate at the bargaining table that they’re unwilling to pay us fair wages for the value our labour provides to our games, we’ll be showing them just how valuable our labour is.”

Union member and associate QA tester Aubrey Litchfield added: “Despite being one of the world’s largest corporations, we’ve had to continuously fight for what should be the bare minimum.

“Paying your employees a liveable wage as a multi-trillion dollar company is the least they could be doing; however when addressed at the bargaining table, Microsoft acts as though we’re asking for too much.”

Litchfield continued: “Our in-house contractors have been working on minimal wages with no benefits, including no paid sick time. Workers are choosing not to start families because of the uncertainty of finances. We’ve released multiple titles while working fully remote. When will enough be enough?”

In response to the strike authorisation, Microsoft told The Verge there has been “substantial progress over the course of negotiations, reaching tentative agreements on a majority of topics at the table”.

“We respect the team’s right to express their viewpoints and are deeply committed to reaching a fair and equitable resolution that acknowledges the teams’ contributions,” it said.

“We have presented a package proposal that we believe is fair – if accepted, it would result in immediate compensation increases, even more robust benefits and is in alignment to the company’s hybrid model of three days in office. We look forward to continuing this progress during negotiations.”

In November 2024, hundreds of employees from ZeniMax Workers United walked out in response to the developer’s stance on remote work policy and outsourcing quality assurance work.

The CWA filed an unfair labour charge against Microsoft as a result.