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ZeniMax Online Studios workers formed ZeniMax Online Studios United-CWA (ZOS United-CWA) in December 2024. On December 12, 2024, the Communications Workers of America (CWA) announced that 461 workers had indicated they wanted to join, and that Microsoft had recognized the union. The unit covers web developers, designers, engineers and graphic artists, and most of its members are based in Maryland. In September 2026, a CWA district notice reported a bargaining agreement that includes ZOS, but it did not publish the terms.
What the December 2024 announcement established
The formation announcement is the primary source for the core facts of the union. It is a CWA release, so the wording reflects the union’s own account.
- Date and name: CWA announced the formation on December 12, 2024. The union is ZeniMax Online Studios United-CWA, shortened here to ZOS United-CWA.
- Unit size: CWA said 461 workers had indicated they wanted to join. “Indicated” matters: the announcement described workers signing union authorization cards or voting through an online portal, not a completed government-run election.
- Recognition: CWA said Microsoft recognized the union in accordance with its stated labor principles. Microsoft owns ZeniMax Online Studios, which makes the multiplayer game The Elder Scrolls Online.
- Job categories: The unit includes web developers, designers, engineers and graphic artists.
CWA did not publish a vote count in that announcement. Engadget reported on December 13, 2024 that the vote was 395 to 40 within the 461-person unit. That figure comes from Engadget’s reporting, not from CWA, and the announcement does not include a certification record. Treat 395-40 as a reported tally rather than a confirmed official result.
Who is in the unit
CWA described the group as professional staff at the studio, not the game’s players or contractors. Most workers are in Maryland. CWA also listed workers in California, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin. Those locations describe where the 461 workers were based when CWA made its announcement, and the sources do not give a more recent headcount.
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Two other CWA numbers are often confused with the ZOS figure. CWA says more than 6,000 workers in the United States and Canada have organized with its CODE-CWA program since it launched in 2020. That is a CWA organization-wide count, not the size of the ZOS unit. Separately, ZOS United-CWA is a different bargaining unit from the earlier ZeniMax QA union, and the two should not be merged.
Why workers said they organized
The announcement and a follow-up CWA article on December 19, 2024 contain the workers’ own stated reasons. These are member views, not independent findings about workplace conditions. The sources do not include a survey or a methodology showing how many workers held each view.
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Protection against layoffs and workplace exploitation
Alyssa Gobelle, a senior motion graphics artist and ZOS United-CWA member, said in CWA’s December 12, 2024 announcement: “By coming together and forming a union, we’re able to take a powerful step forward in ensuring a better future for ourselves and for our families, to create protections against layoffs and workplace exploitation, and to provide additional layers of support for workers beyond what FMLA and workplace policies already provide.”
Pay, benefits and job security
CWA summarized workers’ goals as better pay and benefits, workplace improvements, job security amid layoffs, and protections against artificial intelligence. Those are stated aims. Nothing in the sources shows that any of them has been won.
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Work-life balance and hours
Joseph Reedy, a member of the ZOS United-CWA organizing committee, described hopes for a healthier work-life balance, reasonable hours at reasonable pay, and an end to practices that he said had harmed workers’ lives and dignity. In CWA’s December 19, 2024 follow-up he also said: “To me, this union, this victory, means the potential for real and meaningful change to an industry that I really care about.”
The September 2026 bargaining update
On September 14, 2026, CWA District 2-13 reported that a bargaining committee had reached a “significant agreement” in CORE Effects Bargaining. That negotiation covers Bethesda Game Studios, ZeniMax Online Studios, Customer Service/User Research, Content Technology and Operations, and id Software. The district said the talks followed member mobilization after a July 6 layoff announcement.
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The notice quotes Bargaining Chair and Area Director Lisa Fazzini: “Under the leadership of Bargaining Chair and Area Director Lisa Fazzini, this committed group of unionists demonstrated exceptional teamwork and resolve.” It does not give the agreement’s terms. It also does not say whether the agreement is tentative or final, or whether members have ratified it. Readers should not assume a contract covering pay, layoffs or benefits is in force until a later notice says so.
Timeline of reported developments
| Date | Development | Source | What it establishes |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 12, 2024 | CWA announces ZOS United-CWA with 461 workers indicating support; Microsoft recognizes the union | CWA formation announcement | Formation and recognition, as CWA states them |
| December 13, 2024 | Vote reported as 395-40 | Engadget | A reported tally; not published by CWA in its announcement |
| December 19, 2024 | Organizing committee member describes goals | CWA follow-up | Member views on work-life balance, hours and pay |
| July 6 (year as referenced in the 2026 notice) | Layoff announcement that members cite as the trigger for mobilization | CWA District 2-13 notice | The date CWA links to mobilization; the notice does not describe the layoffs in detail |
| September 4, 2026 | NLRB Case 16-CA-394533 filed; CWA is the charging party | NLRB case docket | A case was filed; the docket lists allegations, not findings |
| September 14, 2026 | Bargaining committee reports a “significant agreement” in CORE Effects Bargaining | CWA District 2-13 notice | An agreement was reported; terms, status and ratification are not stated |
| October 8, 2026 | NLRB case status checked | NLRB case docket | The case was open at that check |
What the NLRB docket shows
The National Labor Relations Board docket for Case 16-CA-394533 was filed on September 4, 2026 and was open when checked on October 8, 2026. The charging party is CWA. The named respondents include Microsoft, Xbox, ZeniMax Media, ZeniMax Online Studios and related entities.
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The docket lists allegations including refusal to bargain or bad-faith bargaining, and changes to terms and conditions of employment. These are allegations filed in a charge. They are not findings, and nothing in the sources shows that any respondent violated labor law. The case may be resolved, amended or withdrawn after the date of this article.
What union recognition does and does not change for a worker’s paycheck
For a personal-finance reader, the practical question is not whether a union exists but what it can change in pay, benefits and layoff protection. Recognition creates a bargaining relationship. It does not set pay or benefits by itself. Those terms come from a negotiated agreement, and the agreement only matters to individual workers once it is ratified and in effect.
Based on the current sources, these are the items to watch:
- Whether the September 2026 agreement is described as tentative or final, and whether members vote on it.
- Whether any published terms address layoff notice, severance, or the procedures used when positions are cut. These were central to the workers’ stated goals.
- Whether benefit terms, including those tied to leave beyond FMLA, change. Gobelle’s statement pointed to support beyond FMLA and workplace policies.
- Whether the NLRB case is resolved, withdrawn, or moves forward on the allegations it lists.
Until those points are published, any personal budget decisions based on a new union contract would be speculation.
What the evidence does not establish
- The 395-40 vote is Engadget’s reported figure. CWA’s announcement did not state it, and the sources do not include a certification record.
- The terms, status and ratification of the September 2026 CORE Effects agreement are not stated in the notice.
- The NLRB allegations have not been adjudicated.
- No independent survey supports any statistic about what share of workers joined for a particular reason.
- Current headcount in the unit is not stated beyond the 461 figure CWA announced in December 2024.
The clearest reading of the record is narrow: a named professional unit at ZeniMax Online Studios formed in December 2024, the employer is reported to have recognized it, and in September 2026 the union reported an agreement that includes the studio, while the outcome of that agreement and the NLRB case remain open.
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