Activision Blizzard employees walk out again, this time for reproductive protections - The Verge
On the one-year anniversary of the state of California’s sexual harassment lawsuit, Activision Blizzard employees are staging another walkout for employee reproductive health protections.
Activision Blizzard employees will participate in yet another walkout today, this time over concerns about employee safety in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Organized by A Better ABK, Activision Blizzard’s internal employee rights advocacy group, the walkout will take place at four of the publisher’s North American offices: California, Texas, Minnesota, and New York, where a new QA worker’s union was just organized.
“We are calling for protection of several communities of marginalized workers,” tweeted A Better ABK on July 6th as they announced the walkout. “Employees are actively facing state legislation that is putting women, LGBTQ+ employees, and their families at risk, with other vulnerable groups on the horizon.”
In light of the Supreme Court’s ruling on Roe v. Wade, a number of video game companies expressed support for their employees’ right to reproductive healthcare and freedom. Bungie’s statement stood out as it also outlined a plan to add travel reimbursement to its healthcare plans should any employee or their dependents need to travel out of state for care.
Activision Blizzard has a similar travel reimbursement plan added in June, but A Better ABK feels that it inadequately addresses the problem.
“The presently offered $4,000 reimbursements for out-of-state medical care currently leave employees open to legal prosecution in their home state,” A Better ABK tweeted. “Travel reimbursements do not remove workers from imminent danger. Our demands ensure that our workers safely, affordably, and legally maintain access to life saving procedures like abortions and trans-affirming healthcare.”
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