Nintendo Faces a Labor Complaint Regarding Unionization

Update – 25/05/22: Nintendo has now responded to the labor complaint allegations with the following statement emailed to Polygon:

“We are aware of the claim, which was filed with the National Labor Relations Board by a contractor who was previously terminated for the disclosure of confidential information and for no other reason. Nintendo is not aware of any attempts to unionize or related activity and intends to cooperate with the investigation conducted by the NLRB.”

Nintendo is fully committed to providing a welcoming and supportive work environment for all our employees and contractors. We take matters of employment very seriously.”

Original Article:

A worker for Nintendo of America has filed a labor complaint against Nintendo and global hiring firm Aston Carter over alleged “concerted activities” in preventing their right to unionize.

The complaint was filed by the American National Labor Relations Board. The report claims that Nintendo of America and Aston Carter has committed the following violations:

• 8(a)(1) Coercive Statements (Threats, Promises of Benefits, etc.)
• 8(a)(1) Coercive Actions (Surveillance, etc)
• 8(a)(3) Discharge (Including Layoff and Refusal to Hire (not salting))
• 8(a)(1) Concerted Activities (Retaliation, Discharge, Discipline)

As of right now, the exact details of the complaint are unknown. There is no description of what has actually transpired between Nintendo, Aston Carter, and the complainant however the accusations of potential threats, and refusal to hire are very serious.

The University of California, Berkeley professor, and labor expert Harley Shaiken told Axios that “If the NLRB is listing these allegations, it’s pretty serious, and their ability to act on it is very real.”

While Nintendo is well known, Ashton Carter is a global hiring firm that recruits customer service and administrative contractors for the gaming giant.

Within the greater context of the gaming industry, there have been increased efforts for Unionization in gaming workplaces. This is in response to the scandals surrounding major game publishers like Activision Blizzard and Ubisoft last year.

Nintendo, for the most part, has avoided any truly controversial allegations. This report could change that reputation if the allegations are found to have any truth behind them.

The details of this case however are still vague. While it is possible that the complaint may not amount to anything and could just be the actions of a disgruntled employee, the accusations here are still serious. We will see how the situation unfolds as more information emerges.

As of right now, neither Nintendo nor Aston Carter has made any response to the labor complaint.

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