Today marks a milestone for Los Angeles’s video game industry as local studios embraced the launch of the United Videogame Workers–CWA (UVW‑CWA) union. This groundbreaking organization, officially known as CWA Local 9433, is the first industry-wide union in North America dedicated to game development professionals across the United States and Canada.
The union was introduced on March 19 during the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, where organizers unveiled the direct‑join structure designed to include workers regardless of their employment status, studio affiliation, or whether colleagues have joined. Membership in UVW‑CWA spans developers, artists, writers, quality assurance testers, freelancers, unemployed professionals, and independent creators, providing collective representation across the entire industry.
Locally, Santa Monica studios have publicly expressed support for this initiative, citing a commitment to fair labor conditions and enhanced workplace standards. Los Angeles-based developers and Creative Workers Alliance leaders praised the union’s focus on transparency and partnership in labor negotiations. Although many regional statements were informal, they mirrored the overarching mission statement released at the GDC summit: reclaim creative control and ensure stability for the professionals who build the games .
Union leadership has emphasized job security as an early priority. Following industry-wide layoffs—in which more than 10,500 jobs vanished in 2023 and another 14,600 in 2024—the union rallied around petitions calling for dignity, warning notices, fair severance terms, and better health-care support. To date, over 390 dues-paying members have joined from across Canada and the U.S., signaling strong initial momentum.
Tom Smith, CWA’s Senior Director of Organizing, praised the union as “a cumulative effort by thousands of video game workers who have been fighting for years to redefine what it means to stand together and reclaim power in one of the largest and highest‑grossing industries on the globe”. He emphasized that UVW‑CWA builds on earlier efforts like Game Workers Unite and CODE‑CWA, which collectively organized over 6,500 tech and game workers since 2020.
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CWA President Claude Cummings Jr. described the new local as “an exciting next step” in empowering game workers, especially amid industry consolidation and executive-driven layoffs. He noted that unions remain essential in an environment where “creators are often treated like replaceable cogs,” and where cycles of boom and bust can leave workers exposed.
The direct‑join model allows individuals to join independently of colleagues at their studios, avoiding delays tied to collective bargaining drives or National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) elections. UVW‑CWA has also announced plans for educational campaigns, panels, a petition drive, and representatives at major industry events—including upcoming rallies and booths—echoing its GDC launch.
Although the union is in its early stages, its impact is already being felt through increased pressure for better workplace standards. Just weeks ago, over 2,600 Microsoft-owned studio employees—including more than 600 from Activision QA—unionized under CWA-affiliated agreements. These developments have led to tentative contracts, such as the ZeniMax QA deal in June, which addressed wages, benefits, AI oversight, credits, and severance.
Nevertheless, challenges remain: Microsoft recently announced layoffs affecting around 9,000 workers, including union members, causing concern among CWA leaders. The push for industry-wide solidarity now aims to create a more resilient framework that can support workers across all studios, including those unaffected by recent contracts.
In Los Angeles, local studios are collaborating closely with UVW‑CWA to establish transparent negotiation practices and safeguard creative professionals. Initial efforts include forming negotiation committees, hosting informational workshops for staff, and facilitating roundtable discussions between developers and studio executives.
As UVW‑CWA continues outreach, L.A. studios have reiterated support for an industry where innovation thrives alongside fair labor conditions. While details on local contracts remain forthcoming, the launch in Los Angeles strengthens the potential for ground-level wins—united through a broader North American network.
The establishment of UVW‑CWA marks a historical shift: for the first time, video game professionals across the continent can collectively advocate for job security, humane working hours, severance safeguards, transparent AI policies, and proper recognition. It signals growing union influence not just at individual studios, but across an entire creative sector that shapes global entertainment.