Yesterday, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) won an early victory in a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard, which a judge ruled could include temporary workers in addition to full-time employees.
DFEH believes that temporary workers suffer in the same harsh working conditions as salaried employees, and their testimony is an equally valid source of information about Activision Blizzard workplaces.
Activision Blizzard’s lawyers have argued that DFEH’s original statement of intent to investigate the company did not include temporary workers, so any lawsuit on their behalf would need to be filed as a separate complaint, also against their personnel agency.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Timothy P. Dillon dismissed the argument, saying the DFEH’s amended complaint fully supports the claim that “female temps and groups of temps” are essential “employees,” saying Activision Blizzard “jointly oversees and controls employees’ conditions of employment, determine wage rates or payment methods, have the right to hire or fire employees and maintain employment records.”
The move helps DFEH process its case and expand its witness pool. The lawsuit’s focus on temporary workers could also have broader implications for U.S. labor law, as tech companies increasingly rely on temporary and contract workers, raising concerns about a general lack of protections for such workers.
However, the trial has a long way to go. It will start on February 27, 2023. If you need to know how the case is going, check out our summary of everything that’s happened since the Activision Blizzard lawsuit went public.