Wizards of the Coast union expands, demands company stop pushing generative AI

The Wizards of the Coast-CWA union is expanding to include the Dungeons & Dragons team and Team X, which handles Magic: The Gathering and Duel Masters. The union has set an October 13 deadline for Hasbro and Wizards leadership to voluntarily recognize the expanded unit. If recognition is denied, the union would need to file with the National Labor Relations Board and pursue another election, following the same process used by the Arena team, which unionized in April and won its election.

The union’s petition accuses leadership of pushing large language models and generative AI without consulting employees, calling for an enforceable AI policy aligned with workers’ goals. It also demands ownership rights for creative work produced outside of work hours using personal resources. The union argues that Hasbro should not claim ownership of employees’ personal creative output, framing the issue as a matter of autonomy and fairness.

In May, Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro missed the deadline to voluntarily recognize a union formed by Magic: The Gathering Arena developers. The company had previously warned employees in a letter that unionizing could result in outcomes ranging from improved to unchanged or reduced benefits, while encouraging direct communication with management as the preferred channel for addressing concerns.

The union’s demands follow its April announcement, which also sought ownership of off-work creative work. The expanded union now represents multiple teams within Wizards of the Coast, signaling broader labor organizing efforts within the company’s workforce.