Communication Workers of America labor union delivers statement on Xbox layoffs

The Communication Workers of America (CWA) labor union has made a formal statement condemning the recent Xbox layoffs.

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Microsoft's recent layoffs have affected 9,000 workers total, with Xbox closing down a studio, cancelling multiple projects, and laying off people across all disciplines. Some of these workers were represented by the CWA labor union, especially those affected by ZeniMax / Bethesda layoffs. In 2024, key members of Bethesda Game Studios voted to unionize, joining alongside a sister union at ZeniMax Workers United.

Now CWA president Claude Cummings Jr. has delivered a press release that responds to the layoffs, saying that the organization will use the company's decision to shed workers as leverage when negotiating new deals with Microsoft.

"We are deeply disappointed in Microsoft's decision to lay off thousands more workers, including union-represented CWA members, at a time when the company is prospering.

"We will be bargaining with the company over these layoffs, and CWA District Vice Presidents Mike Davis and Derrick Osobase will remain directly involved in ensuring that our members are supported and treated with dignity throughout this process.

"Right now, we are living through a moment of profound corporate consolidation and disruption.

"In times like these, union organizing is not just a tool for protections in the workplace; it is essential to workers' survival, and one of the strongest defenses we have against unchecked corporate power.

"This news will not slow the movement for a video game industry that works for those who make it what it is today. Our strength is in our unity."