Sega of America cohort moves to unionize
Staffers across multiple departments seek higher pay, improved benefits, and adequate staffing to end overwork
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A unit of 144 staffers at Sega of America has filed for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
As reported by The Verge, the cohort known as the Allied Employees Guild Improving Sega (AEGIS) consists of employees from departments that include live service, marketing, and product development. The unit is partnered with the Communications Workers of America (CWA).
In its statement regarding the unionization effort, the group said in part, "Our workers and our audiences deserve games made by people who make a living wage. In our quest to reclaim our collective power, we have built bridges with fellow workers from across our company in an effort to understand our shared issues…."
The unit also said that nearly a third of Sega's staff aren't full-time workers, lack paid time off, and do not have access to bereavement leave.
The cohort's goals in forming a union includes:
- Higher base pay for all staffers
- Improved, stable benefits for all staffers
- Clear outlines for career advancement
- Balanced workloads and schedules
- Adequate staffing to end overwork
AEGIS' unionization follows a year in which the games industry saw an increase in organization.
QA developers at Raven Software, and Blizzard Albany successfully formed unions last year.
Last year also saw Australia gain its first video game industry union in Game Workers Australia. Anemone Hug Interactive also became the first Canadian video games union in 2022.
This January, Zenimax United and the CWA announced that roughly 300 QA developers within Zenimax's US operation favored unionization.