Gaming giant Activision is apparently ignoring calls for diverse hiring from America's labor unions. It was learned earlier this morning that the AFL-CIO, the largest federation of unions in the United States, proposed that Activision adopted a rule similar to the NFL's "Rooney Rule," which requires teams to interview at least one non-white minority candidate for coaching jobs.
It is important to note that the "Rooney Rule," does not state a non-white minority must be hired to a position, just interviewed. Activision already has something similar to the NFL's "Rooney Rule," in place, however it only applies to director and executive nominees. The AFL-CIO is a shareholder at Activision-Blizzard, and attempted to submit a proposal suggesting that the ever-growing corporation expand its hiring policy.
This morning, Vice reported that it had obtained letters showing that Activision-Blizzard is resisting the suggestions. Per Vice's report, the AFL-CIO wrote a letter to the SEC arguing that, "The purpose of the requested Diverse Candidate Search Policy is to assure that the Company’s recruitment pools for external hires are adequately diverse," and also added that, "a diverse workforce at all levels of a company can enhance long-term company performance."
However, Activision countered the AFL-CIO with its own SEC letter, stating that the proposal, "didn't fall within the SEC's guidance for shareholder proposals, which exclude topics that deal with 'matter[s] relating to the company’s ordinary business operations.'" Activision also wrote,
"While the Company has implemented a Rooney Rule policy as envisioned [for director and CEO nominees], implementing a policy that would extend such an approach to all hiring decisions amounts to an unworkable encroachment on the Company’s ability to run its business and compete for talent in a highly competitive, fast-moving market."
Vice questioned a representative from Activision regarding the letters, to which they responded, "We have put in place a series of new programs like our scholarship programs with the United Negro College Fund and the Equal Justice Initiative," which they say helps connect promising, diverse talent with mentors, to prepare them for professional success.
The AFL-CIO is also a shareholder at EA, and also submitted the same proposal to it as well. While EA did not give a definitive yes or no like Activision did, a representative told Vice that it was in regular communication with the AFL-CIO, and would consider the proposal. The AFL-CIO's proposals would have to be voted on during Activision's upcoming shareholder meeting later this year, where Call of Duty's $3 billion profit and Activision's record-breaking stock growth will surely be a bigger topic of discussion. The fate of the proposal appears to be less than promising, but it is hard to say for sure what will happen until Activision's meeting.
Source: Vice
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