Nintendo Faces New U.S. Labor Complaints Over Union Rights

Nintendo of America (NoA) is facing allegations again of infringing workers’ unionization rights in the United States, roughly three years after settling a similar labor dispute. New complaints filed on Dec 9, 2025, and Jan 6, 2026, with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), accused Nintendo of America and staffing firm Teksystems of violating U.S. labor Act 8(a)(1) and 8(a)(4).

Game File reported the incident on Jan 9, after reviewing NLRB records showing that both charging letters against NoA were signed on Jan 7, 2026, despite differences in timeline. The reporting also notes that available information about both complaints is relatively limited, and the data about individuals tied to the case are also not publicly available.

The violated clauses from the National Labor Relations Act are related to offering protection to unionized employees. Section 8(a)(1) prohibits employers from interfering with, restraining, or coercing employees in the exercise of their right to organize, while Section 8(a)(4) bars retaliation against workers for filing charges or cooperating with law under this act.

The New Complaints Against Nintendo of America Follows a Previous Incident

According to Game File, the NLRB complaints name NoA and Teksystems as joint respondents. Teksystems works with NoA to fulfill the requirements of certain jobs, including customer service and game-testing. Neither company responded when they were asked by publications for comments.

Nintendo and Teksystems have not issued public statements on the new filings at the time of reporting. The full factual record behind the complaints, such as which specific actions triggered the alleged violations, the number of workers involved, or whether the cases will proceed to formal hearings or be resolved through settlement, is not yet known.

Both cases are currently assigned to NLRB’s Region 19 division in Seattle, and “by its nature a complaint.” The allegations echo a previous dispute from 2022, when Nintendo was linked to a labor complaint involving staffing firm Aston Carter for violating labor acts 8(a)(1) and  8(a)(3), that prevents an employer from performing union-busting activities.

That case ended in a settlement of roughly $26K USD after a contract worker alleged they were dismissed for discussing unionization and working conditions. At the time, Nintendo said it was unaware of any union activity and stated that the company “fully committed to providing a welcoming and supportive work environment for all our employees and contractors” while cooperating with the NLRB process.

The renewed complaints land amidst a tense period for labor relations in the global gaming industry. The last few months have seen a few cases of alleged union-busting, including reported layoffs at Rockstar Games that prompted political attention in the UK, and the closure of Ubisoft’s newly unionized Halifax studio, which sparked backlash from CWA Canada.