Activision Blizzard employees have been sharing a bafflingly anti-union post from international law firm Reed Smith on Twitter today, the same law firm that is currently representing Activision Blizzard in the NLRB hearing between it and Raven Software's striking QA testers.
The post in question details "tips and tricks" for employers on how to avoid unionization, but is now inaccessible, possibly due to the law firm removing it. Thankfully, people got in and got their screenshots, with one incredibly out-of-touch screenshot making the rounds on Twitter.
GWA and ABetterABK founder Jessica Gonzalez shared the initial screenshot earlier today, which details what types of employees Reed Smith thinks unions exploit. The list in its entirety is as horrific as it is confusing, but the highlights accuse an employee that wants to unionize as being a "whiner and complainer" and "lazy, non-productive, or inefficient."
To truly propel the list into the realm of the absurd, Reed Smith also uses bizarrely archaic language to describe unionized employees, claiming that they are "malingerers" as well as "footloose" and "fancy-free." As you might expect, Twitter has had a field day.
As humorous as this list might be, Activision Blizzard undoubtedly knew of this law firm's stance on unions before approaching them, and it's yet another grim reminder that the publisher is doing everything in its power to stop employees from unionizing. Activision Blizzard has engaged in multiple union-busting tactics over the past month, including separating agitated employees, moving them to different departments, and subjecting Raven Software workers to anti-union propaganda.
It's disheartening to see a publisher so adamant against granting its own employees better working conditions, but thankfully GWA isn't backing down without a fight.