Riot workers plan strike to protest lawsuits against company

As a result of news that Riot Games is trying to prevent two current employees from taking legal action against them for alleged discrimination, some employees are threatening to step down.

In the past two months, five current and former employees of Riot have filed lawsuits against League of Legends publisher claiming that he promotes a sexist culture at the workplace, initially reported and detailed in a 2018 Kotaku investigation. Last Thursday, Riot filed a motion to force two of these women, whose lawsuits concerned the California Equal Pay Act, to arbitrate privately. It is a controversial practice that pushes complaints into an extrajudicial system without a jury or judge. This makes it much less likely that employees can hold employers accountable for their alleged actions. In their motions, Riot's attorney says that these employees have waived their right to sue when they signed arbitration agreements when they were hired.

The walkout, scheduled for Monday, May 6, was triggered by the disappointment of some employees face what they consider to be contradictory messages from the leaders of Riot. According to a current employee, who asked to remain anonymous, Riot workers have been planning to withdraw for months, but the forced arbitration motions have pushed them to the limit. Although Riot issued a public apology several weeks later KotakuIn its initial report, bringing a new leader in diversity and promising to rethink its hiring and promotion practices, the company has led many men accused of sexist or inappropriate behavior to have been employed for months, including his chief of operations.

In addition, the current employee said, "Leaders have always promised transparency / action, and have not kept that promise. . .[[[[KotakuS]the last article on forced arbitration finally lit the spark and some people decided to take action. "

Walkouts are non-violent protests organized by a group of organized workers who stop working or leave the office as part of a statement expressing dissatisfaction with employers. It is a risky move that can lead to dismissal. An internal document from Riot employees describing the planned walkout explains that this will only happen if Riot executives maintain their request to force arbitration against the two current employees. The organizers ask Riot to "express 1.) a clear intention to end forced arbitration, 2.) a specific deadline (within 6 months) to end the arbitration, and 3.) a commitment not to force the arbitration of women involved in the ongoing litigation against Riot, "reads in the document.At earlier this year, Google employees had planned a walkout to put end to forced arbitration and, a few months later, Google announced its intention to stay.

This plan has been widely circulated in Riot offices in Los Angeles and abroad. In an email, Riot said Kotaku"We are proud of our colleagues who have stood up for their beliefs. We always want rioters to have the opportunity to be heard. We sit down today to listen to their opinions and find out more about their perspectives on arbitration. . We will also discuss this topic at our public forum every two weeks on Thursday. Both are important forums for us to discuss our current policy and listen to comments, which are essential elements in the evaluation of all our procedures and policies, including those related to arbitration. "

Four current employees at Riot have not been able to confirm the number of their colleagues who will participate in the strike. Two expressed reluctance to participate. According to one of them, who states that he does not intend to become a member, "I do not know the extent of the walkout, any more than any other person to whom I am a member. I spoke, which is the main reason why I do not participate. " before continuing, she also received a document indicating the conditions, time and place of meeting of the walkout. "I think that any workers' organization is a good thing, and I support it, whether I participate or not."