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58-651: Game Workers Unite is a worker-run, labor rights group seeking to organize the video game industry . Founded during events surrounding the March 2018 Game Developers Conference , the flat organization has grown to over a thousand members across more than 20 international chapters. Its goal is a single union for all games workers, including artists, designers, producers, and programmers. Game Workers Unite has supported actions including Riot Games 's 2019 walkout over sex discrimination and social media campaigns against CEOs who executed layoffs. The British chapter of Game Workers Unite

116-436: A social model of disability . Neurodiversity considerations may include people on the autism spectrum , with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), developmental coordination disorder (DCD, also known as dyspraxia) or dyslexia . There are several indices that measure labor rights produced by various organizations. Some focus on collective bargaining and freedom of association including in datasets produced by

174-489: A country's economic growth. As companies outsource their work to workers from lower-wage countries, governments will relax their regulations to attract businesses. As a result, poor countries implement a lower labor rights standard to compete with other countries. Layna Mosley 's study shows that collective labor rights have declined since the recent global expansion started. By having multiple countries sign agreements and treaties , labor rights are able to be protected across

232-467: A disciplinary process at which they have the right to be accompanied, daily breaks, rest breaks, paid holidays, and more. Aside from the right to organize, labor movements have campaigned on various other issues that may be said to relate to labor rights. The labor movement began to improve the working conditions of the workers. Dating back to 1768 the first strike of the New York journeyman tailors protested

290-805: A number of alleged abuses in the United Arab Emirates ( including Dubai ). Human Rights Watch lists several problems including "nonpayment of wages, extended working hours without overtime compensation, unsafe working environments resulting in death and injury, squalid living conditions in labor camps, and withholding of passports and travel documents by employers. Despite laws against the practice, employers confiscate migrant workers' passports. Without their passports, workers cannot switch jobs or return home. These workers have little recourse for labor abuses, but conditions have been improving. Labor and social welfare minister Ali bin Abdullah al-Kaabi has undertaken

348-612: A number of reforms to help improve labor practices in his country. The United Arab Emirates was condemned in a report issued in April 2021 by the Democracy Centre for Transparency calling out the nation for its abuse and discrimination of foreigners and expatriates against Emirati citizens. According to DCT, foreigners and expatriates in the UAE are often subjected to gender and wage discrimination, racialization, trafficking, and forced labor. As per

406-588: A part of customary international law they are committed to respecting these rights. For a discussion on the incorporation of these core labor rights into the mechanisms of the World Trade Organization , see Labour standards in the World Trade Organization . There are many other issues outside of this core, in the UK employee rights include the right to employment particulars, an itemized pay statement,

464-421: A part of the union does not necessarily address all the needs of immigrant workers, and thus winning power within the union is the first step for immigrant workers to address their needs. Immigrant workers often mobilize beyond unions, by campaigning in their communities on intersectional issues of immigration, discrimination, and police misconduct. Labor unions formed throughout the industries. Labor unions in

522-584: A particular level of working conditions, wages or health and safety standards. They are not intended to undermine the comparative advantage that developing countries may hold. Core labor standards are important human rights and are recognized in widely ratified international human rights instruments including the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CROC), the most widely ratified human rights treaty with 193 parties, and

580-731: A similar methodology to the ILO, but have wider country coverage. The V-Dem Institute produces a wide range of data on civil rights and democracy. This includes data on the prevalence of forced labor and data on civil society organizations, including trade unions. UCLA 's World Policy Analysis Center maintains a database on a range of global legal standards including women's rights, disability rights, child labor, and employment discrimination. Writers Guild of America Although both organizations operate independently, they perform some common activities, including negotiating contracts and launching strike actions in unison. Both organizations of

638-502: A society that would be ruled by the workers. Many of the social movements for the rights of the workers were associated with groups influenced by Marx such as the socialists and communists . More moderate democratic socialists and social democrats supported workers' interests as well. More recent workers' rights advocacy has focused on the particular role, exploitation, and needs of women workers, and of increasingly mobile global flows of casual, service, or guest workers. Identified by

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696-660: A statement calling attention to the disparity in job security across game worker roles, with developers and artists generally safe while quality assurance testers and event organizers were being laid off and furloughed. The group's British chapter, Game Workers Unite UK, became a legally recognized union within the Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain in December 2018. Their four goals are ending unpaid overtime, bettering diversity and inclusion, educating and promoting targeted workers, and establishing steady and fair wages. It

754-413: A wage reduction. This marked the beginning of the movement. Approaching the 19th century, labor unions were formed to improve the working conditions for all of workers. They fought for better wages, reasonable hours, and safer working conditions. The labor movement led efforts to stop child labor, give health benefits, and provide aid to workers who were injured or retired. The following are explained more in

812-550: Is also seen by many as one of the workers' rights. Discrimination in the workplace is illegal in many countries, but some see the wage gap between genders and other groups as a persistent problem. Many migrant workers are not getting basic labor rights mainly because they do not speak the local language, regardless of legal status. Some have noticed that they are not getting the correct amount of money on their paycheck while others are underpaid. The National Labor Relations Act recognizes undocumented laborers as employees. However,

870-476: Is legally recognized as a union within the Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain and is working to end crunch overtime practices, improve diversity and inclusion, support targeted workers, and ensure steady and fair wages. Game Workers Unite co-founder Emma Kinema was hired by the Communications Workers of America to organize workers in the high tech and video game industries in early 2020,

928-515: Is the provision of Statutory Maternity Pay, which ensures that a minimum payment is made during the leave period. Secondly, there is the right to maternity leave, which guarantees that women can take time off work and return to their job afterward. Additionally, women have the right to be reinstated to their original position. Finally, the EPCA has reinforced unfair dismissal rights. Legal migrant workers are sometimes abused. For instance, migrants have faced

986-539: The DRC as well as copper mining in Zambia , where children were reported to be participating in all forms of mining at the expense of their education. There is a growing concern that the rising demand for resources that involve child labor for industries such as the production of electric vehicle batteries , will only increase labor rights violations. In India and Pakistan, children work long hours in various industries because of

1044-572: The International Labour Organization (ILO) in the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work , core labor standards are "widely recognized to be of particular importance". They are universally applicable, regardless of whether the relevant conventions have been ratified, the level of development of a country or cultural values. These standards are composed of qualitative, not quantitative, standards and do not establish

1102-770: The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the International Labour Organization (ILO), and Penn State . Others, such as data produced by the V-Dem Institute and UCLA 's World Policy Analysis Center focus on other components such as employment discrimination, child labor, and forced labor. The ITUC produces the Global Rights Index on an annual basis which rates "countries depending on their compliance with collective labor rights and document violations by governments and employers of internationally recognized rights." The ILO produces

1160-640: The Screen Writers Guild (SWG) was formed to represent film screenwriters, but operated primarily more as a social organization until 1933 when the group affiliated with the AG and took on a more active role in labor negotiations. With the emergence of the television industry by 1948, the SWG and a Television Writers Group within the AG began to represent TV writers. In recognition of the growing complexity of representing members in many different fields of entertainment writing,

1218-544: The 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire . Labor advocates and other groups often criticize production facilities with poor working conditions as sweatshops and occupational health hazards and campaign for better labor practices and recognition of workers' rights throughout the world. Recent initiatives in the field of sustainability have included a focus on social sustainability , which includes promoting workers' rights and safe working conditions, prevention of human trafficking , and elimination of illegal child labor from

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1276-669: The Game Workers Unite organizers and Emma Kinema (the group's most public figure) among the most influential people in video games in 2018, and by the March 2019 Game Developers Conference, AFL–CIO representation began outreach with video game workers. When considering its strategy, the group first met with media unions such as the Writers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild before reaching out to smaller games communities. They hoped to build relationships with established unions and local developer communities before expanding to

1334-524: The Hoffman supreme court case has primarily affected undocumented laborers by preventing them from getting backpay and/or reinstatement. While no undocumented individual is technically able to work in the United States legally, undocumented workers make up 5% of the workforce. In the U.S., people who were born outside of the country tend to work in riskier jobs and have a higher chance of encountering death on

1392-673: The ICCPR with 160 parties. They have been incorporated into different provisions that are related to labor in soft law instruments such as the UN's Global Compact, the OECD Guidelines, and the ILO MNE Declaration. The core labor standards are: Very few ILO member countries have ratified all of these conventions due to domestic constraints yet as these rights are also recognized in the UDHR, and form

1450-588: The May 2019 walkout at Riot Games over its handling of sex discrimination. After employees attended a 2018 Game Workers Unite meeting, Kinema helped them create an organizing committee and advised the walkout organizers via phone. The company announced that it would retain its forced arbitration policy but would create a diversity and inclusion group. The organizers are working towards a worker-led group for rectifying burnout and overwork. The Communications Workers of America hired Kinema in early 2020 to organize workers in

1508-753: The NLRA protects undocumented workers, it protects their right to organize. However, the NLRA excludes workers that are agricultural, domestic, independent contractors, governmental, or related to their employers. The right to speak up against labor abuses was protected further by an immigration reform bill in 2013 with the POWER act, which intended to protect employees who spoke out against labor practices from facing detention or deportation. However, labor unions are not necessarily welcoming of immigrant workers. Within unions, there have been internal struggles, such as when Los Angeles immigrant janitors reorganized service workers. Being

1566-595: The United Nations declared that children have a right to social protection. It is hard for children to fight for their basic rights, especially in the workplace. They are often under-treated. Employers take advantage of child labor because they lack the ability to bargain collectively and compromise to work at an unpleasant workplace. Almost 95% of child labor occurs in developing countries . An example of an industry in which instances of child labor lead to severe injury or death that have been noted are cobalt mining in

1624-735: The World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization issued a report called "A Fair Globalization: Creating Opportunities for All". The report acknowledges how potential globalization can affect labor rights. Reforming globalization will require cooperation not only within the country but also at the global level. It suggests political authorities to "renew their attention to global solidarity". Workers' rights advocates have been concerned with how globalization can impact labor rights in different countries. Some international agencies and global corporations see strong enforcement will limit

1682-581: The Writers Guild of America were established by 1954 after the merging of groups from other writers labor unions. The Authors Guild (AG) was originally founded in 1912 as the Authors' League of America (ALA) to represent book and magazine authors, as well as dramatists. In 1921, the Dramatists Guild of America split off as a separate group to represent writers of stage and, later, radio drama. That same year,

1740-570: The age of 9 could not work, children aged 9–13 could only work 8 hours a day, and children aged 14–18 could only work for 12 hours a day. Labor rights are a relatively new addition to the modern corpus of human rights. The modern concept of labor rights dates to the 19th century after the creation of labor unions following the industrialization processes. Karl Marx stands out as one of the earliest and most prominent advocates for workers' rights. His philosophy and economic theory focused on labor issues and advocates his economic system of socialism ,

1798-528: The company responsible for managing the pavilion representing Germany at the Expo 2020 reportedly signed an agreement with the Emirati Transguard Group for laundry, cleaning, and security services. Rights groups claim that during the signing of a framework agreement between the two firms, evidence assuring human rights due diligence was overlooked. It is said that the firm withheld the passports and wages of

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1856-560: The crafts discovered difficulty in forming labor unions at different skill levels. These skill groups often got divided into racial and sexist ways. In 1895, the white-only International Association of Machinists affiliated with the American Federation of Labor (AFL), which was founded in 1881. Entering the 20th century African Americans moved from the South into the North only to find that there

1914-403: The data for Sustainable Development Goal 8.8.2, which measures the "Level of national compliance with labor rights (freedom of association and collective bargaining) based on International Labour Organization (ILO) textual sources and national legislation, by sex and migrant status. In the past, Penn State's Center for Global Workers’ Rights has produced a set of labor rights indicators which use

1972-512: The debt their parents incurred. Poor families sometimes rely on their kids' income to pay bills. In Egypt, about 1.5 million kids under 14 years old are working even though there are child-protective labor laws. In the United States, the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) restricts the employment of children. The FLSA defines the minimum age for employment to 14 years for non-agricultural jobs with restrictions on hours, restricts

2030-404: The elderly and handicapped and more. People who are neurodivergent present distinct issues in labor rights. They may individually or as a demographic have occupational preferences or requests for accommodation which differ from neurotypical workers. While some neurodivergent people may need workplace support in a medical model of disability , other people may only want cultural understanding in

2088-431: The emphasize the humans and conditions behind the making of games and have argued that, allied with consumers, workers can fight business practices that concern gamers, such as gambling-based gameplay mechanics. Some of the largest issues motivating the industry's organizing efforts include crunch time , when developers work overtime to finish a project in its last weeks, and social issues such as diversity and inclusion in

2146-557: The extra hours are payable overtime . In the European Union the working week is limited to a maximum of 48 hours including overtime (see also Working Time Directive 2003 ). Labor rights advocates have worked to improve workplace conditions that meet established standards. During the Progressive Era , the United States began workplace reforms, which received publicity boosts from Upton Sinclair 's The Jungle and events such as

2204-489: The first American initiative of its kind in those sectors. Game Workers Unite seeks to organize a trade union for video game developers to improve working conditions. Their activists are largely anonymous game developers from both indie and major firms. The group's flat organization eschews leaders and coordinates through Discord and Facebook . Their goal is a single union for all developers, including programmers, artists, designers, and producers, with subgroups within

2262-529: The following sections. Many labor movement campaigns have to do with limiting hours in the workplace. 19th century labor movements campaigned for an eight-hour day . Worker advocacy groups have also sought to limit work hours, making a working week of 40 hours or less standard in many countries. A 35-hour workweek was established in France in 2000, although this standard has been considerably weakened since then. Workers may agree with employers to work for longer, but

2320-616: The global industry and collaborating with groups like the International Game Developers Association . The group saw the breadth and volume of roles in the games industry as posing potential difficulty for a single union strategy. The workplaces affiliated with Game Workers Unite campaigns include those with less than 100 and those with thousands. Some are working in conjunction with labor unions and others are working only with Game Workers Unite. The group also advocates for worker cooperatives . Kinema helped to organize

2378-707: The globe. However, some countries sign it even though they are not planning to follow the rules. Therefore, there might be room for labor rights practices to suffer. However, some argued that globalization can improve labor rights enforcement by responding to other country's demands. Governments will act in their national interests, so when an important trading country urges for strong labor rights enforcement, they will act accordingly. Labor rights advocates have also worked to combat child labor . They see child labor as exploitative, and often economically damaging. Child labor opponents often argue that working children are deprived of an education. In 1948 and then again in 1989,

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2436-459: The hours for youth under the age of 16, and prohibits the employment of children under the age of 18 in occupations deemed hazardous by the Secretary of Labor. In 2007, Massachusetts updated its child labor laws that required all minors to have work permits. The Employment Protection Consolidation Act (EPCA) has established four fundamental regulations for women's employment rights. Firstly, there

2494-413: The job. The low-wage sectors, which many undocumented people work in, have the highest rates of wage and hour violation. Estimates claim that 31% of undocumented people work in service jobs. Restaurant work in particular has a 12% rate of undocumented workers. Undocumented people can and have joined labor unions, and are even credited by a 2008 dissertation for "reinvigorating" the labor movement. Because

2552-481: The leaders of the revolt, John Ball , famously argued that people were born equal saying, "When Adam delved and Eve span, who was then the gentleman?" Laborers often appealed to traditional rights. For instance, English peasants fought against the enclosure movement , which took traditionally communal lands and made them private. The British Parliament passed the Factory Act 1833 which stated that children under

2610-540: The minimum wage. However, opponents see minimum wage laws as limiting employment opportunities for unskilled and entry-level workers. The benefits and costs of foreign direct investments on labor rights are often argued. Payton and Woo's study shows that even though "workers may not see drastic increases in minimum wages but they will benefit marginally from better enforcement of existing minimum wage laws or other protections granted in law, gradually improving overall working conditions, as more FDI flows in." In March 2004,

2668-400: The predominantly white and male industry. Game Workers Unite was at the center of a 2018 push for video game industry unionization. In March 2018, the collective evolved from a private game developers Facebook Group to a Discord server where over 100 games industry members congregated. The group's website soon collected 200 pledges of support to unionize the games industry. Their first action

2726-632: The relations of employment. One of the most prominent is the right to freedom of association , otherwise known as the right to organize . Workers organized in trade unions exercise the right to collective bargaining to improve working conditions. Throughout history, workers claiming some sort of right have attempted to pursue their interests. During the Middle Ages , the Peasants' Revolt in England expressed demand for better wages and working conditions. One of

2784-596: The research conducted by the DCT, these issues remain unreported due to the threat and intimidation from their employers in the form of job loss or fabricated criminal charges. The discrimination and abuse have reportedly continued despite the easing of the Kafala system in the Emirate. The DCT concluded its report urging the UAE to address the issues and put an end to the racial hierarchy and discrimination against non-citizens. Koelnmesse,

2842-539: The supreme court case Hoffman Plastic Compounds, Inc. v. NLRB established that backpay could not be awarded to unlawfully fired undocumented employees due to the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 . In this court decision, it was also stated that the U.S. would support FLSA and MSPA , without regard to whether or not someone is documented. Undocumented workers also still have legal protection against discrimination based on national origin. The decision of

2900-712: The sustainably sourced products and services. Organizations such as the U.S. Department of Labor and Department of State have released studies on products that have been identified as using child labor and industries using or funded by human trafficking. Labor rights are defined internationally by sources such as the Norwegian Agency for Public Management and eGovernment (DIFI) and the International Finance Corporation performance standards. The labor movement pushes for guaranteed minimum wage laws, and there are continuing negotiations about increases to

2958-407: The union representing disciplines. In Australia, where the industry is smaller, Game Workers Unite wants to include esports professionals and marketing staff as well. They have argued that working conditions will only improve when studio managers are forced, and that workers cannot wait for managers to set realistic deadlines, fairer hiring practices, and to keep those promises. They also seek to show

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3016-630: The unions reorganized in 1954. Both the Authors Guild and the Dramatists Guild would continue to represent writers in print media, the SWG would fold, and those working in motion pictures, TV, and radio would be represented by two new guilds, headquartered on both coasts: the WGAE and the WGAW. Although the WGAE and the WGAW run independently of each other, they jointly perform some regular activities, including

3074-508: The video game and tech industries , the first such American union-sanctioned initiative in those sectors, launching the Campaign to Organize Digital Employees . Game Workers Unite's other actions have included social media campaigns to fire CEOs presiding over layoffs, such as Activision 's Bobby Kotick and ArenaNet 's Mike O'Brien . The group retracted their campaign on the latter based on his employee and fan support. Game Workers Unite issued

3132-436: The workers earning relatively lesser than the minimum wage and terminated them from the service without notice. In neighboring countries such as Qatar, there is a similar problem. Qatar has received a lot of criticism over the way it treats its workers, including those that have worked on FIFA World Cup projects. The right to equal treatment, regardless of gender , origin and appearance, religion , sexual orientation ,

3190-488: Was about 600 by November 2018, and in the thousands across over 20 international chapters by mid-2019, including cities such as Los Angeles, Montreal, San Francisco, and Vancouver. The group keeps its members' employers private, has no official membership count, and does not announce its nascent campaigns, though at least 12 were in progress as of late 2018. Game Workers Unite's protest badges and pamphlets became quickly visible at developer expositions worldwide. Variety named

3248-534: Was discrimination in economic opportunities. Racial stereotypes were used to divide the working class and create segregation. This eventually led to the creation of black codes and Jim Crow laws to limit the ability of African Americans to create a living for themselves. The Jim Crow laws passed in the 1800s were laws that forbade African Americans from living in white neighborhoods, along with segregation in public places. these were enforced for public pools, phone booths, hospitals, asylums, jails and residential homes for

3306-528: Was the country's first games industry union. Game Workers Unite Toronto partnered with Communication Workers of America in early 2020. Game Workers Unite Australia became a union under Professionals Australia in 2022. Labor rights Labor rights or workers' rights are both legal rights and human rights relating to labor relations between workers and employers . These rights are codified in national and international labor and employment law . In general, these rights influence working conditions in

3364-515: Was to distribute informational materials at the Game Developers Conference later that month. The results were a turning point for pro-union momentum in the industry. Following a panel on arguments for and against unionization at the conference, developers expressed interest in unionization on social media. Within a few weeks, Game Workers Unite was officially founded and its membership quickly rose from less than 10 to about 300. Membership

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