The first-ever direct-join video game workers union has been unveiled at the Game Developer’s Conference. Known as the United Videogame Workers, organized with the Communication Workers of America, this union allows anyone involved in the game industry to join. It doesn’t matter if you’re freelance, full-time, or whether anyone else at your company joins, either.
UVW-CWA (the union’s abbreviation) is intended to protect worker rights. “The creation of this union was not done in isolation; it’s a cumulative effort by the thousands of video game workers who have been fighting for years to redefine what it means to stand together and reclaim power in one of the largest and highest-grossing industries on the globe,” said Tom Smith, CWA’s Senior Director of Organizing. “These workers are taking a bold stand, joining together to build power for the workers behind the games we all know and love.”
The union announced it will gather signatures for a petition focused on job security, citing the more than 10,500 jobs lost in 2023 and the 14,600 jobs lost in 2024. The union points out that more than 30 studios have laid off their full staffs before being shut down by their parent companies.
Its mission statement reads, “Our mission is to take back our lives, our labor, and our passion from those who treat us like replaceable cogs.” The union wants to nurture talent and give it a future, not a short-term position.
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At a time when the video game industry is arguably more volatile and unpredictable than ever, the birth of a union like this offers a little more safety and security to the people who produce the games we all enjoy. The UVW-CWA joins several other unions with a direct-join model, including the Alphabet Workers Union-CWA.
If you work in the video game industry in the United States or in Canada and are interested in becoming part of the union, you can learn more here.
