Sega Of America Employees Vote To Unionize, Now Largest Multi-Department Union In Games Industry

by Wesley LeBlanc on Jul 10, 2023 at 02:33 PM

Update, 7/10/23:

AEGIS-CWA (Allied Employees Guild Improving Sega in partnership with the Communication Workers of America), the Sega of America union filed back in April, has won its union election, with 91 votes in favor of the union and 26 votes against it.

With this election won, AEGIS-CWA is now the largest multi-department union of organized workers in the entire games industry, it says. AEGIS-CWA tweeted about the news today, stating it is "so excited to celebrate this win and head to the bargaining table [with Sega] to continue building this company we love."

WE WON!

We just won our union election 91-26.

Our 200+ member union is now the LARGEST multi-department union of organized workers in the ENTIRE gaming industry.

So excited to celebrate this win & head to the bargaining table w/ @SEGA to continue building this company we love! pic.twitter.com/2iy6loAruf
— AEGIS-CWA 💙 #UnionizeSEGA (@takesAEGIS) July 10, 2023

This vote was held after Sega management opted not to voluntarily recognize it.

Game Informer reached out to Sega for comment and received the following letter, which was an internal letter from Sega of America leadership sent to all Sega of America employees yesterday:

Hello all,

Today, we received tentative results of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) union election. Of the approximate 212 eligible voters, 139 employees participated in the election. The majority of employees who participated in the election voted “Yes” and opted for unionization with the Communication Workers of America. The official outcome of the election is not yet certified by the NLRB. Any party may file objections to the election within 7 days of the vote count.

Throughout this process, we have maintained a high level of respect for our employees’ rights. We have provided factual information and answered your questions regarding what changes with a union. Our employees are a critical component of our success. While we believe that a direct relationship promotes a supportive environment, responsiveness, and a shared commitment, we respect our employees’ rights and maintain our legal commitment to the NLRB process.

We will update you when we have more information about next steps.

In the meantime, if you have any immediate questions please contact Human Resources.

The original story continues below...

Update, 4/26/23:

Game Informer reached out to Sega of America for comment regarding this union filing by 144 employees on April 24, 2023. We received a letter today that Sega of America president and COO Ian Curran first sent to all Sega of America employees this morning. You can read it, in full, below:

Dear Team Sega,

We received word yesterday that a petition has been filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) by various SOA employees seeking union representation. Union matters are new to me and SOA and we are investigating and considering the options available to the company. As I understand it, the petition filing means that the NLRB will conduct a secret ballot election several weeks down the road for employees who are in specific job classifications to be determined by the NLRB. These employees will be voting for or against union representation.

Some of you may support unionization and some not. That is your legal right. No SOA employee will be treated any differently whether they support or do not support unionization. We have a wonderful culture at SOA with a strong commitment to working together as a team. In my mind, it is the SOA employee culture that makes us such a successful company.

We will be updating you regularly so that you’re fully informed, understand what you can expect and what the NLRB process is about. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Human Resources. We want all of your questions answered.

Thank you all for your continued efforts.

The original story continues below...

Original Story, 4/24/23:

Employees within Sega of America have filed for unionization.

Today, The Verge broke the news that a supermajority of 144 employees across Sega of America's quality assurance, live service, localization, marketing, and product development departments have filed to form a union. This team of workers headquartered in Sega of America's Irvine, California office filed its union election with the National Labor Relations Board and will go by the name Allied Employees Guild Improving Sega (AEGIS) in partnership with the Communications Workers of America, The Verge reports.

"We believe that the passionate, hardworking people at our Irvine offices deserve a say in our working conditions, and we are joining together to advocate for change in our workplace," this new union writes on Twitter. "This is our vision for the path forward. #UnionizeSEGA"

The AEGIS union also released a longer statement outlining why it's unionizing, what it wants for its members, and more. You can check it out, in full, below:

We believe that the passionate, hardworking people at our Irvine offices deserve a say in our working conditions, and we are joining together to advocate for change in our workplace.

This is our vision for the path forward. #UnionizeSEGA pic.twitter.com/G4v2TDl0kL
— AEGIS-CWA 💙 #UnionizeSEGA (@takesAEGIS) April 24, 2023

The Verge interviewed two members of this new union and writes that both people it spoke to are "hopeful that Sega of America and its Japanese parent company will voluntarily recognize the union." For more about this unionization effort, be sure to check out The Verge's full story.

Game Informer has reached out to Sega of America for comment and will update this story accordingly if comment is received.

[Source: The Verge]

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