In December, shortly before Christmas, Activision terminated Allen Junge, a QA worker in Minneapolis, Minnesota. According to the Communications Workers of America (CWA), the union that represents Junge as well as over 1,000 workers across Activision and Microsoft, the publisher claimed it was following protocol after Junge overstepped with a Slack post about guns in the wake of the US presidential election. But CWA believes Activision was retaliating against Junge for his role as a "core part of the wave of unionization across the video game industry" and has filed an unfair labor practice asserting as much.
In a statement published this week, CWA said that Junge helped lead a 2022 walkout at Activision and played a key role in allowing the hundreds-strong Activision Quality Assurance group to win union recognition in 2024. Prior to his firing, Junge had acted as a spokesperson for the union at a rally against Activision's "refusal to approve certain ADA job accommodations," which Jordan Kunze, another Activision QA employee and Junge's union steward, told Aftermath centered around the company's return-to-office mandate, an ongoing point of contention that some employees have described as “soft layoffs.”
Trouble began when Activision brass pulled Junge and Kunze into a meeting about a November Slack post Junge had made about guns. Some employees, CWA says, had been discussing the idea of arming themselves as a defensive measure in the wake of Trump’s reelection, and Junge stepped in with “recommendations for safe and responsible firearms ownership and training, especially for those from LGBTQ communities and other marginalized identities.” Activision, CWA and Junge say, construed Junge’s post as a call to violence when he says that, in reality, he advised de-escalation and education above all else.
"When I decided to make this post, I wanted to be helpful for my coworkers and do what I could to prevent people from making rash decisions about their personal safety,” Junge said in an email to the company, relayed by CWA. “I have learned that the only way to be safe around firearms is to be completely informed and vigilant in how they are handled. I also did not want to create the appearance that only lethal force is capable of self-defense, which is why I repeatedly emphasized the need to avoid conflict and obey all applicable laws, as well as gave advice on less-lethal self-defense. To my dismay, I learned that the determination to terminate my employment included the verbatim language used to teach firearm safety in professional classes, as well as multiple out of context phrases and themes that were not discussed in the investigation.”
In response to CWA's filing of an unfair labor practice, Activision provided a brief statement:
"We expect our employees to adhere to our Code of Conduct and guidelines," an Activision spokesperson told Aftermath. "When there are violations to those guidelines, we take necessary and appropriate action. We can confirm this exit was unrelated to any protected activity."
Junge declined to be interviewed about his termination and the ensuing unfair labor practice, but Kunze provided additional details to Aftermath. Here is Junge’s Slack message, as dictated to Aftermath by Kunze:
I thought I'd try to help ensure people are making informed decisions about their self defense. I am of the belief that if your existence as a person is threatened by the upcoming political administration or if you are an ally to these marginalized groups, you should purchase and learn how to use a firearm. I want to explain how to do so in an educated way so nobody makes rash decisions.
First off, let's start with education. Buying a firearm is a huge responsibility, and simply owning one is not enough for it to be an effective tool for self defense. While I make this call generally, it's more like a call to defend yourself, rather than any kind of call to action. Please decide for yourself if a firearm fits your needs for protection. Start by taking a firearm safety course Before you even consider touching a gun, you must know how to operate it safely. These courses are relatively cheap and will teach you things you need to know.
However, let's cover some basic rules anyway. Never point a gun at anything you don't intend to destroy. Always treat a gun as if it's loaded, especially if you're the one to unload it. Always know your target and what's behind it. Never put your trigger finger on the trigger unless you are immediately about to shoot. Always keep the gun stored and unloaded and in a safe place inaccessible to others. Always keep the gun clean. Know how to disassemble it. Only use a gun in self defense as an absolute last resort.
Once you take your safety class, you should consider taking a concealed carry course if you plan to carry at any protests. This will give you the right to possess your firearm in a concealed holster in public. This is recommended as openly carrying may be illegal in your area and statistically makes you more likely to be robbed for the gun.
Next let's talk about purchasing the firearm. Start by double checking regional laws that may restrict or delay your purchase, like in Minnesota hand guns require a request to purchase from the police, which is active for seven days after a background check. For first-time owners, I would recommend a used small-caliber pistol sold at a licensed reseller within range. Buying used will make it cheaper and usually stores with a range will allow you to operate the gun before purchasing.
After you pass the background checks and own your firearm, it's time to purchase. Don't bother with expensive targets or anything silhouette-shaped right away. Purchase the smallest paper plates you can find. Get the cheaper bullet in your caliber and practice hitting all shots as close together as possible. Practice as often as possible, though a couple hours every weekend should suffice. Make sure you really clean the firearm as well. Gunpowder creates a lot of dirt that will prevent the gun from operating if it builds up.
You'll want to do this because the most important part of self defense for the gun is accuracy, not where you shoot. Unlike our games, getting shot anywhere will significantly slow, if not stop, the assailant, so being calm and accurate while under pressure is the most important element.
Finally, well, why should you get armed? There are a lot of good reasons and even more bad ones, but I believe purchasing in self defense is the most understandable reason anyone can have. A political environment stochastic possibility simply for existing, being armed is a genuine deterrent. This goes both for you and anyone around you that may be at risk of these threats. Additionally, cop watching, ala Panthers, does keep the police more responsible, even when they know guns will not be leveled at them. Having participants carry firearms at protests also prevents violent police responses, and counter-protesting with firearms to protect such things as drag queen story hour is also a well-known anti-fascist tactic to prevent and deter their presence.
Be safe and act responsibly. Your community is counting on you.
Kunze went on to say that conversation about guns is far from uncommon in Activision Slack. This is, after all, the publisher of Call of Duty, a series that fetishizes weaponry on a regular basis.
"I mean, we're literally making games about shooting and killing people, creating new weapons in it, customizing your guns, upgrading them,” said Kunze. “We've had people talk about how they didn't feel safe and thought they needed to buy guns. We've had people who have asked for advice on types of guns to buy, and they're all still here. … [Guns come up] more than a few times a day, some days. Other times it's weekly. I genuinely don't think I've seen a full week pass by where there wasn't some reference to guns, whether it be related to real life, a game, politics, wars. There's always something about it."
CWA also claimed that Activision Slack includes channels dedicated to non-work-related topics like "wrestling, personal finance, weightlifting, and Star Trek," with "controversial political takes and edgy memes" making regular appearances.
CWA and Kunze allege that Activision purposefully took Junge’s words out of context.
"They took the line 'Don't point a gun at anything you don't intend to destroy' and said it contained inflammatory language, such as using a gun to destroy things, counseling that carrying weapons at protest was appropriate, and advising that in a pinch, anything can be used as a weapon," said Kunze.
Activision, Kunze added, claimed that workers from across the company expressed discomfort at Junge’s post, but recent petitions calling for his rehiring have garnered hundreds of signatures.
“Most [responses] have been like ‘Seriously? He got let go for that?’” said Kunze. “Our coworkers were very upset that Allen was fired.”
It is noteworthy that, during a podcast appearance this week, former Activision CEO Bobby Kotick made the cynical proclamation that pervasive harassment claims against companies like Riot and Activision Blizzard were "fake," a product of CWA's need for more members.
"I can tell you exactly what happened," Kotick said on Grit. "The Communication Workers of America Union started looking at technology. They kept losing because they represented the news guild, Comcast, and they realized they were losing members at a really dramatic rate, so they gotta figure out: How do they get new union members? So they targeted a bunch of different businesses: Google, some other tech companies. Tesla, SpaceX, and us."
An ensuing lawsuit led to a $55 million settlement on Activision Blizzard's part. However, the State Department concluded that "no court or any independent investigation has substantiated any allegations [of] systemic or widespread sexual harassment at Activision Blizzard." Meanwhile, Riot also settled, paying out $100 million following a class-action suit for "systemic sex discrimination and harassment."
Nonetheless, Kotick concluded that at his company, there was neither smoke nor fire.
"[CWA] came up with this plan, hired a PR firm, and they started attacking our company. They got these two agencies to file these lawsuits to claim there was some sexual harassment. We didn't have any of that," he said. "I mean, think about it: I dated Sheryl Sandberg. You think we had a problem with pay equity and gender pay at Activision? She literally wouldn't do a 'lean-in circle' at the company until I showed her our pay equity fillings."
As RPS notes, Sandberg, formerly COO at Meta, faced her own set of allegations that she helped pressure UK tabloid Daily Mail to drop stories about a temporary restraining order obtained by an ex-girlfriend of Kotick, who claimed that Kotick harassed her at her home. Ultimately, Kotick's ex retracted some of her allegations, according to WSJ, and stopped pursuing a longer-lasting restraining order.
Activision workers represented by CWA say their main goal, at this point, is simply to get Junge his job back.
"Our biggest hope is to get [Allen's job back],” said Kunze. “I think it would also be nice to gain access to what [leadership] finds acceptable and what they don't. Because they definitely didn't do themselves justice in their termination letter."
