Nintendo of America has been accused of “concerted activities” and “coercive acts” against efforts to organize by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The lawsuit is intended against Nintendo of America and Aston Carter, a company that Nintendo utilizes to recruit contract employees, although it doesn’t go into detail.
The lawsuit, which was first reported by Axios, was submitted by an anonymous person in Washington, the state where Nintedo of America is situated, but it’s unclear if it was filed in the name of a group or not. The lawsuit claims that monitoring, threats, retribution, and layoffs were likely utilized to deter workers from organizing, according to Axios. As previously stated, none of these incidents are confirmed to have occurred at Nintendo of America, though the complaint’s broad terms suggest that such tactics may have occurred.
Since the beginning of 2022, labor concerns have been a heated subject, owing to Raven Software developers at Activision Blizzard’s continuing attempts to unionize. Nintendo has largely managed to keep any internal labor issues out of the public eye, but it appears that the company may soon find itself in the spotlight.
Nintendo’s family-friendly image contributes to the impression that it is a blameless firm, but if the complaint has been filed with the NLRB, these allegations are certainly severe and have genuine validity. It’s a clear sign that labor difficulties aren’t limited to Activision Blizzard and that employees throughout the business are battling for better working conditions.
If the NLRB sounds familiar, it’s because it’s been heavily involved in Activision Blizzard’s unionization efforts, most recently proposing a ban on workers being forced to attend meetings filled with anti-union propaganda. Workers were allegedly coerced to attend meetings where incorrect information on unionization was disseminated, according to reports released in February. The proposed prohibition by the NLRB would put an end to this practice.
