Wizards of the Coast declines to voluntarily recognize D&D and Studio X union drive
By Personnel on the D&D and Studio X groups will now cast their votes in a National Labor Relations Board election
Image credit: UWOTC-CWA
Wizards of the Coast is denying to provide voluntary acknowledgment to a union initiative by its Dungeons & Dragons and Studio X teams. Personnel will instead participate in a confidential-ballot election supervised by the National Labor Relations Board.
As reported by Wargamer, the union, United Wizards of the Coast-CWA, declared the decision via Twitter/X on Wednesday, October 14, and a company representative affirmed it.
Wargamer accessed an email purportedly sent to Wizards’ US employees, in which the organization states that it is “not impartial on the issue of unionization.” It further mentions that it prefers to communicate with employees directly instead of through unions.
The email indicates that eligible workers have the right to make their own choices, and that Wizards will respect the result of the election regardless of how they vote.
It also details subsidized health benefits, five weeks of paid leave, annual bonuses at 200% of the target in 2025, and a 20% increase in individual contributors’ average base pay since 2023.
Employees from both teams expressed their intention to unionize on October 6 and requested that the company recognize the union by October 13.
The union’s declared goals include equitable compensation, career advancement opportunities, job stability, remote work protections, and improved healthcare.
The union is advocating for a binding AI policy. In the petition published when the D&D and Studio X teams initiated their campaign, employees mentioned that management had promoted generative AI without consideration for their teams’ preferences.
It is also pursuing ownership of what workers produce in their own time, a request first made when the Arena team launched its union in April. Wizards and Hasbro missed the deadline to voluntarily acknowledge that union in May.
United Wizards of the Coast-CWA was established by the Magic: The Gathering Arena team, which voted to unionize in June by a margin of 79 votes to 16.
