Activision Blizzard Raises Wages and Give PTO to Contract Workers, Hits Back at California Suit

The fight for better working conditions at Activision Blizzard, as well as the lawsuits from the US EEOC and California are still ongoing, with new developments. However, there’s some good news for temporary contract workers.

A Better ABK's Jessica Gonzalez called it a huge victory that contract workers will now get Thanksgiving and winter break as paid time off, as the company agreed to several improvements. There’s also going to be a minimum hourly rate for temporary employees of $17 per hour.

Agencies through which Activision Blizzard hires temporary workers agreed to match the sick PTO that the company offers to its employees. This means up to nine payable six days per year. They also agreed to start career growth programs and to develop opportunities for temporary workers.

In the meantime, Activision Blizzard continues to fight hard against the California lawsuit filed against the company and the attempt to stop its EEOC settlement. According to new filings examined by Stephen Totilo of Axios, Activision Blizzard‘s argument includes that states don’t have the right to step in and try to block a federal settlement. And since the EEOC settlement proposal includes a $15 million victims fund, there is a detail in that settlement that requires that people making a claim forgo any state claims that could arise. So if someone was harmed by company actions, they could not also get anything from a state suit outcome.

The state of California disagrees with the EEOC and demonstrates in their filings that California tried to push for mediation before filing the lawsuit. Activision Blizzard claims that this was trying to get ahead of any potential EEOC settlement because the investigators were aware of each other.

It is very clear that this is not heading for an easy solution anytime soon. Activision Blizzard and the EEOC want a judge to sign off and approve their settlement. California will still have its suit even if that settlement goes through, but it will get more tangled, especially because Activision Blizzard and the EEOC object to how the California suit may have come about.