Workers at Sega of America say publisher is behind it Personality, Yakuzaand more beloved game franchises are trying to put them out of business in retaliation for unionization. A new unfair labor practice filing filed by the Communications Workers of America accuses Sega of forcing its employees into a meeting where they were told their jobs would be transferred to Japan and Europe, rather than bargaining directly with the union over layoffs.

On November 6, Sega submitted a proposal to the Allied Employees Guild Improving Sega (AEGIS-CWA) to “phase out” all temporary workers, most of whom are in quality assurance and localization, by February 2024. Unity, formed earlier this yearIt currently represents more than 200 employees in marketing, sales, product development and other departments.

The layoffs will affect 40 percent of the group, or about 80 unionized employees in total. However, instead of bargaining with the union over the changes, Sega continued to deliver the news directly to employees at a required meeting; This potentially violated rules against companies bargaining directly with union employees rather than with unions.

“It’s disheartening to see these types of actions from Sega, as it clearly demonstrates bad faith dealings and a refusal to recognize the valuable contributions of a significant portion of our colleagues,” Elise Willacker, Sega’s senior QA tester, said in an emailed statement. Kotaku. “We filed Unfair Labor Practice charges to call out Sega for communicating directly with members and violating the status quo by telling bargaining unit members that our jobs would soon be over.”

Sega did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The ULP will go to the National Labor Relations Board for review, but the issue may not be resolved in time to prevent mass layoffs. Allied Employees Guild Improving Sega is one of the largest unions ever formed in the video game industry and is unique in that it encompasses employees from all different types of roles rather than being department specific. The negotiation battle with Sega comes with major game publishers and studios in the industry. I’m trying to cut costs and lay people off.

“Sega will not be allowed to get away with this unlawful behavior. We call on the company to make all temporary employees permanent and return to the bargaining table in good faith. There is no fair alternative,” Willacker wrote.