Halifax Ubisoft Workers Form First North American Union Amid AI and Layoff Concerns

Halifax Ubisoft employees formed the company's first union in North America in December 2025, with approximately 60 workers including producers, programmers, designers, artists, researchers and development testers voting in favor. The unionization effort, led by senior server developer T.J. Gillis and supported by CWA Canada, followed six months of certification efforts and achieved 74% staff approval. Workers cited concerns about artificial intelligence's impact on creative jobs and recent industry-wide layoffs, particularly after Microsoft's closure of Alpha Dog studio in Halifax in 2024. Ubisoft, which employs over 17,000 people globally, has unionized workforces in other regions but this marks the first in North America. The Nova Scotia Labour Board certified the union, and Ubisoft stated it will cooperate with the Board and union representatives. CWA Canada president Carmel Smyth noted increased interest from other tech workers following this successful unionization.