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To start a union at a video game studio in the United States, workers build support among coworkers, form a representative organizing committee, document majority support with authorization cards or a petition, and then pursue either voluntary recognition from the employer or an election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). An NLRB election petition requires support from at least 30% of employees in the proposed bargaining unit; that threshold starts an election case and is not the percentage needed to win.
This is a U.S. private-sector process. Check your state and local law, immigration and employment status, and eligibility before acting. The NLRB decides whether it has jurisdiction and whether the proposed bargaining unit is appropriate. Independent contractors and supervisors are generally outside National Labor Relations Act coverage, although status can be fact-specific. The NLRB says employees also have the right to refrain from organizing.
What starting a union at a game studio actually involves
A union is a group of employees that chooses a representative to bargain with the employer over employment terms. At a studio, that group might include quality-assurance testers, programmers, artists, designers, producers, or another set of employees with a shared workplace interest. You cannot assume every role, contractor, manager, or remote worker belongs in the same unit. The NLRB examines the proposed unit and the employer’s coverage before an election proceeds.
The practical work begins well before filing paperwork. Coworkers identify common problems, learn who is eligible, build a broad organizing committee, and decide how to demonstrate support. If the union is recognized or wins an election, the employer and union must bargain in good faith over mandatory subjects such as wages and hours. Representation does not instantly create a contract or guarantee a raise, schedule, layoff protection, or any other particular result.
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The U.S. Department of Labor’s WORK Center describes organizing committees, support-building, and contacting an established union for guidance. Workers may also organize an independent union. An outside organizer can explain campaign and legal choices, but no particular union is guaranteed to accept or represent a given studio group.
Use the following sequence as a planning framework, not as a substitute for advice about your workplace. For official help, contact the NLRB Regional Office serving the studio or use the assistance information on Worker.gov’s union guide.
Step 1: Start with trusted conversations about shared concerns
Begin with one-to-one conversations with coworkers you trust. Ask open questions: What would you change about work here? Which policies create the most risk or unfairness? What would you protect if management reorganized the studio? Listen for issues that affect several people rather than presenting a finished platform.
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Possible game-studio concerns include crunch and overtime, unpredictable schedules, compensation, layoffs, benefits, job security, harassment procedures, and quality-assurance working conditions. These are examples to investigate, not findings about every studio. A useful conversation records the concern, who experiences it, and what a worker would consider a meaningful improvement.
- Use private, respectful conversations and avoid promising outcomes that a future contract may not deliver.
- Ask whether the concern is shared across teams, locations, shifts, and employment arrangements.
- Separate a workplace issue from a demand that may be outside collective bargaining or another agency’s jurisdiction.
- Do not pressure a coworker to support the union. Employees may support organizing, oppose it, or remain undecided.
Early conversations should protect trust. Do not circulate a public list of supporters before people understand the risks and the proposed unit. Keep factual notes securely and limit access to the workers doing the organizing.
Step 2: Build a representative organizing committee
An organizing committee is a group of workers who take responsibility for listening, explaining the plan, and communicating across the proposed unit. The WORK Center identifies this structure as a common way to build support. Representation matters: a committee made up only of one department or shift may miss concerns and leave other employees unconvinced.
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Cover the workplace’s real structure
Map departments, job titles, shifts, locations, reporting lines, and employment arrangements. Include people who work on different projects and release schedules. Note where employees are remote or hybrid, but do not decide legal eligibility solely from a title or work location.
Supervisors and independent contractors are generally excluded from NLRA employee coverage, while the precise definition can depend on facts. A person called a “lead,” “manager,” or “contractor” is not automatically included or excluded. Ask the NLRB or a qualified labor lawyer about disputed classifications before treating a headcount as final.
Assign practical committee roles
- Workplace contacts: maintain relationships in each department, shift, or project.
- Issue listeners: collect concerns without promising a particular bargaining result.
- Eligibility researchers: track titles and employment relationships that may affect the proposed unit.
- Communications coordinators: prepare consistent explanations and correct rumors quickly.
- Records stewards: secure authorization-card or petition information and limit access.
The committee should agree on how decisions are made, how confidential information is handled, and how to respond if management asks questions. A clear internal process prevents one person from making commitments for everyone.
Step 3: Get guidance and choose an organizing model
Workers can contact an established union for support and guidance, or they can seek to form an independent union. An organizer may help explain authorization cards, unit questions, election procedures, communications, and bargaining preparation. Contacting an established union does not itself make that union the bargaining representative; workers still need a recognition or election route.
An independent union gives workers more control over affiliation and governance, but the group must create its own structure, legal support, finances, and bargaining capacity. An established union may provide experienced organizers and representation resources. Compare these practical implications with coworkers rather than assuming one model is right for every studio.
Do not represent an organizer’s informal interest as an agreement to represent the unit. Ask what support is available, what membership or affiliation rules apply, who would handle legal filings, and how workers would make decisions. Keep the organizing committee’s authority with the employees, not with an outside contact.
Step 4: Define the proposed bargaining unit carefully
The bargaining unit is the group of employees that would share one representative. Unit boundaries affect the support calculation, the people who vote, and the subjects of bargaining. The NLRB reviews whether a proposed unit is appropriate; workers cannot guarantee approval simply by choosing a convenient group.
Questions to resolve before counting support
- Which employees share a community of interest in their work and employment conditions?
- Are quality-assurance, localization, customer-support, or other teams sufficiently connected to the proposed group?
- Do different offices, projects, or shifts have distinct supervision or working conditions?
- Which workers are employees rather than independent contractors?
- Does anyone exercise supervisory authority that may exclude them?
- Are there existing collective-bargaining relationships or recent elections that could create an election bar?
These questions are not merely administrative. In 2022, Activision contested whether the proposed Raven Software quality-assurance group was a viable bargaining unit. The NLRB-administered vote nevertheless ended 19–3 in favor of the union, as reported by Axios. The example shows why unit scope can become a central issue; it does not predict what another studio’s unit will be.
Step 5: Build and document support
Workers commonly use authorization cards or a petition to show that employees want representation. The document should identify the proposed representative clearly and be used consistently. Before asking someone to sign, explain what the card means, which unit is proposed, and whether the signer is authorizing representation or merely requesting an election, according to the form’s language.
Track support against the employees who would actually be in the proposed unit, not against the entire studio’s headcount. Because the NLRB may alter the unit or exclude certain classifications, do not treat an internal percentage as a legal guarantee. Keep signed materials secure and follow the organizer’s or counsel’s instructions for storage and submission.
Support-building checklist
- Have a one-to-one conversation with each eligible coworker rather than relying on a public poll.
- Explain the difference between voluntary recognition and an NLRB election.
- Record questions and answer them with verifiable information, not speculation about a future contract.
- Reach workers across departments, shifts, projects, and locations.
- Recheck eligibility when people change jobs, leave, or move between employee and contractor status.
- Protect the identity of undecided workers and never publish a supporter list without consent.
Employers may express opposition, and employees may choose not to participate. The NLRB states that employees have rights to organize and to refrain. If you believe someone is being threatened, surveilled, interrogated, or discriminated against because of organizing activity, contact the NLRB promptly about the facts and applicable deadlines.
Step 6: Choose between voluntary recognition and an NLRB election
Once support is substantial, workers generally choose one of two routes. Voluntary recognition asks the employer to recognize the union after the union demonstrates majority support. An NLRB route asks the Board to conduct a secret-ballot election; at least 30% support among employees in the proposed unit is required to file the petition. Reaching 30% does not automatically produce an election or establish a union.
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| Route | Support showing | Employer’s role | NLRB role | What follows |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voluntary recognition | Majority support in the proposed unit | Employer may agree to recognize the union; recognition is not guaranteed merely because workers request it | The parties may need Board assistance if legal issues arise; the election threshold does not apply to the request itself | Recognition establishes the representative relationship, followed by bargaining obligations |
| NLRB election | At least 30% support to file a petition | Employer participates in the Board process and election | Investigates jurisdiction and possible election bars, reviews the unit, and conducts a secret-ballot election if appropriate | A majority of votes cast selects the representative; certification is followed by a duty to bargain |
The NLRB explains the election process in Conduct Elections. Worker.gov also describes the routes in Forming a Union at a Non-Union Workplace. Neither source promises that an employer will voluntarily recognize a union or that a petition will proceed without a unit or jurisdiction dispute.
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Present the recognition request through the channel agreed with the organizing committee and any assisting union. Include the proposed unit and evidence of majority support as advised by counsel or the organizer. Ask the employer to state whether it recognizes the union. If the employer declines or contests the unit or support, workers can evaluate whether to file an NLRB petition.
If you file for an election
- Confirm that the petition has support from at least 30% of employees in the proposed unit.
- File with the NLRB Regional Office serving the workplace, using the Board’s current petition instructions.
- Provide the proposed unit and the required showing of interest.
- Respond to the Board’s investigation of jurisdiction, employee classifications, unit scope, and possible election bars.
- If the case proceeds, follow the Regional Office’s direction on notices, voter eligibility, campaign conduct, and the secret-ballot election.
- Wait for the vote count and any certification or challenge process before treating the union as the representative.
The Board’s review is why an internal headcount or self-selected group cannot guarantee the election’s scope. Ask the Regional Office about current forms and filing requirements rather than relying on an old checklist.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Step 7: Understand what an election result means
If a majority of votes cast favors the union, the NLRB certifies the union as the representative for the unit, subject to the Board’s process. Certification creates a bargaining relationship; it is not a finished contract. The employer and union must bargain in good faith over mandatory subjects, including wages and hours.
Good-faith bargaining requires the parties to meet and negotiate honestly, but neither side must accept a particular proposal. Bargaining can continue through multiple sessions toward an agreement or, under applicable law, an impasse. The union cannot promise that certification alone will produce a raise, a no-layoff clause, a new schedule, or a specific harassment procedure.
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Prepare for bargaining before the vote
- Rank the issues coworkers identified and distinguish essential goals from preferred language.
- Collect examples and records that explain how a problem affects employees.
- Decide how the bargaining team will report progress and seek member input.
- Set rules for approving proposals and communicating tentative agreements.
- Plan for the possibility that negotiations take time and that some proposals are not accepted.
A representative union is accountable to the unit. Keep workers informed without disclosing confidential personal information or making claims about a contract that has not been negotiated.
What game-industry examples can—and cannot—tell you
Raven Software quality-assurance workers
Axios reported that Raven Software QA workers won an NLRB-administered vote 19–3 on May 23, 2022. Activision had contested whether the proposed group constituted a viable bargaining unit. The case is a concrete example of a game studio unit proceeding through a Board election despite a dispute over scope; it is not a guarantee that another studio’s proposed unit will be approved or win.
ZeniMax quality-assurance workers
The Associated Press reported that about 300 ZeniMax QA workers voted to join a union in January 2023 and that Microsoft accepted its formation after the vote. The report also quoted senior game tester Wayne Dayberry: “Throughout the industry, the quality assurance departments are treated poorly, paid very little, and treated as replaceable cogs,” he said. He added, “There’s not a lot of dignity involved in it.” Read the account at The Associated Press.
The ZeniMax result involved an employer commitment to accept the union after workers voted. That cooperation is not the default procedure every studio should expect. Both examples are historical illustrations, not predictions about a particular employer, unit, vote, or contract.
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The NLRB’s FAQ explains coverage, employee rights, and unfair-labor-practice procedures at its official FAQ. Most private-sector employees are covered by the NLRA, but coverage is not universal. Independent contractors and supervisors are generally excluded, and the details can require a fact-specific legal determination.
Do not wait if you think the employer has interfered with organizing. Under NLRB guidance, an unfair-labor-practice charge generally must be filed within six months of the alleged violation. The exact deadline can depend on the event and legal theory, so contact the appropriate Regional Office promptly rather than treating six months as a safe extension.
- Keep dated notes of meetings, messages, schedule changes, threats, promises, surveillance, or discipline that you believe relate to organizing.
- Preserve original documents and identify witnesses without circulating sensitive information.
- Ask the NLRB whether your issue belongs with the Board or another agency.
- Obtain legal advice before recording conversations, sharing confidential employer data, or taking collective action that could have separate legal consequences.
The NLRB Regional Office can explain jurisdiction, filing steps, and current forms. Worker.gov’s guide is a plain-language starting point, while the WORK Center’s Step-by-Step Guide to Forming a Union describes organizing structures and support-building. These resources cannot decide your unit, classify every worker, or predict bargaining results.
A practical readiness checklist for your committee
- Workers have identified shared concerns through one-to-one conversations.
- The organizing committee includes people from the roles, shifts, projects, and locations likely to be in the unit.
- Employment classifications and supervisory responsibilities have been reviewed rather than assumed from job titles.
- The proposed unit has a written, understandable description.
- Workers know what an authorization card or petition says before signing.
- Support is counted against the proposed unit, with eligibility changes monitored.
- The committee has decided whether to seek established-union guidance or pursue an independent union.
- Members understand the difference between majority support for voluntary recognition and the 30% showing needed to petition for an election.
- A plan exists for secure records, communications, and responses to employer questions.
- The committee knows the NLRB Regional Office serving the studio and will ask about current procedures.
The bottom line for a studio organizing effort
Starting a union is a worker-led process: listen first, build a committee that reflects the workplace, define the proposed unit carefully, document support, and choose voluntary recognition or an NLRB election with a clear understanding of each route. A 30% showing can start an election case, while majority support is relevant to voluntary recognition and a majority of votes cast is required to win an election. The NLRB’s unit and jurisdiction decisions, followed by good-faith bargaining, determine what happens next. Treat the Raven and ZeniMax examples as evidence that game workers have organized successfully—not as a promise about your studio.
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