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Milwaukee, WI, August 6, 2024— Approximately twenty-three workers at Experis Game Solutions, a wholly owned subsidiary of ManpowerGroup, Inc., received the news on August 2nd that their jobs would be eliminated and their worksite closed at the end of the month. The news came as the unionized workers were in the middle of their first contract negotiations with company representatives. Microsoft, a major client of Experis, recently signed a union neutrality agreement with the AFL-CIO and adheres to a code of conduct that includes provisions for vendors like Manpower.
The decision to close the Milwaukee location is the culmination of a string of retaliatory actions that Manpower has taken since the workers voted 35-4 in favor of unionizing with District 10 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) in October of 2023. Since then, Manpower has frozen hiring, suspended raises and promotions, consolidated projects, laid off eight workers, and moved all of Milwaukee’s work to their Tempe, AZ location, where the workers have also begun an organizing campaign.
Before the Milwaukee workers made their campaign public last fall, Experis managers told the workers that the company planned to expand and grow the Milwaukee location to more than 100 employees by spring 2024. Manpower job recruiters encouraged workers from as far away as Louisiana and Nevada to relocate to Milwaukee for the test associate jobs that are now disappearing.
The IAM has filed multiple Unfair Labor Practice charges alleging Experis is breaking the law by freezing working conditions and closing the Milwaukee location. The charges are currently under investigation by the National Labor Relations Board.
The workers decided to unionize to address multiple workplace issues, including low wages, job insecurity, and burnout, which are all endemic in the video game industry. Video game test associates, who are responsible for quality assurance and troubleshooting newly developed software, have led a wave of recent union organizing in the tech industry.
About the IAM – The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) is among the largest industrial trade unions in North America and represents nearly 600,000 active and retired members in aerospace, transportation, manufacturing, shipbuilding, woodworking, and other industries. To learn more, visit www.iamawd10.org or contact Alex Hoekstra, Directing Business Representative at hoekalex@yahoo.com or (920) 210-7754.
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