CWA Files Complaint Against Microsoft's Supplier Lionbridge for Unfair Labor Practices

The Communications Workers of America has submitted a complaint to the National Labor Relations Board against Lionbridge Technologies, a QA contractor for Microsoft's Activision projects. The complaint alleges that Lionbridge violated the rights of its employees in Boise, Idaho, by laying off the entire team after they collectively addressed their working conditions. Additionally, the complaint claims that Lionbridge offered severance packages with overly broad confidentiality terms, which required employees to waive their labor law rights protected by the National Labor Relations Act. The CWA also notes that Lionbridge previously engaged in union busting in 2016. In 2022, Microsoft and the CWA entered into a labor neutrality agreement, which the CWA expects Microsoft to extend to its contractors. A former Lionbridge employee stated, 'We raised our concerns to management and organized with our coworkers to improve our working conditions, but Lionbridge responded by laying off our entire team, violating our rights as coworkers.' The CWA believes that Microsoft should ensure all employees working on its games, including those of contractors, are treated with respect and in line with its labor practices.