I really don't want that merger between Activision and Microsoft to go
through, because - long term - I don't think it would be good for the
industry or for gaming. But on the other hand, if that's what it takes
to get rid of the current management at Activision, maybe that's a
burden we'll have to bear.

So what has Activision done this time? Only retaliated against workers
who voted to formed a union by excluding them from a pay raise in
April. * Because that's just the sort of thing you should do when
you've pissed off enough employees that they want to create a union in
the first place.

I've never quite understood USians distaste for unions. I've heard the
arguments, of course, but they never really made sense to me; the
advantages - as seen in most other western nations - far outweigh the
disadvantages. Fortunately, an increasing number of Americans seem to
be becoming aware of this fact, and unions are no longer a four-letter
word. But regardless of that, this sort of retaliation is despicable
and - if my understanding of USian law is correct - illegal. That it
only promotes why unions are so important is just the icing on the
cake.

But more to the point, it also shows how self-serving Kotick and his
cronies at Activision are. They're repeatedly shown themselves to be
without ethics or morals, and the sooner they are kicked out the
better. There is no certainty that the merger with Microsoft would
make things any better (although at least Microsoft has said it
wouldn't resist unionisation efforts) but it's unlikely to make things
worse.

=========================
* story here:
https://www.pcgamer.com/activision-blizzard-withheld-raises-to-retaliate-against-unionising-staff-us-labor-relations-board-finds/