The Teamsters Union says it is creating a new unit to bring in workers from a growing Atlanta sector… gaming.
A collage of Corsair employees and Teamsters union members gathered outside of the gaming manufacturing facility in Duluth on Wednesday holding signs that said “Union Strong” and “Vote Teamsters Yes.”
The California-based manufacturer produces headphones, controllers and monitors, alongside other computer hardware components.
Unions are on the rise in the gaming industry as workers seek to make meaningful, sustainable change. This is following a nationwide trend in worker organizations where an uptick in union elections and unfair labor complaints has workers vowing to make changes in their workplaces.
In recent years, union efforts within the industry are gaining traction as workers seek to rewrite the history of low wages, long hours and minimal benefits. Notably, Activision Blizzard and Microsoft employees have also started union representation campaigns.
Last month, Teamsters filed a petition to join Local 728 in Atlanta, according to the National Labor Relations Board.
The group of more than 70 workers across video game production and warehouse jobs say they want better healthcare benefits, job security and wage increases.
Pierina Rodriguez, an employee at the Duluth facility for just over a year, has seen a number of layoffs during her time here.
“I just felt like a lot of anxiety about whether I am going to be next. Who else is going to be next? What’s going on?,” she said. “And then also, I really thought I’d see my co-workers again. But this is literally the last time I’m seeing them, and I had no idea.”
“To be one of the first computer peripherals, to set up this pillar, basically. And be like, Yeah, we did it. Come on, we can kind of give you a reference on how to do things, what you can use, what you can do, you know,” said Max Madsen, a three-year employee of…
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