Industry
SAG-AFTRA Calls for Strike Against Major Video Game Companies
The guild continues to seek improvements to its contracts and to keep its finger on the pulse of A.I. protection issues for union players.
Memories of the last writers and actors’ strike that hit the industry a few years ago seem like a thing of the past. While there was talk at the time of a strike by members of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) over video games, it came after the guilf began a series of negotiations to improve its members’ contracts. Unfortunately, nearly two years into these negotiations, the union has decided to go on strike.
In a press release, SAG-AFTRA announced that its members in the video game industry will go on strike at 12:01 a.m. on July 26, following a vote by its members after a year and a half of “no deal” negotiations.
This strike will affect a total of 10 companies, including Activision Productions Inc., Blindlight LLC, Disney Character Voices Inc., Electronic Arts Productions Inc., Epic Games, Inc., Formosa Interactive LLC, Insomniac Games Inc., Take 2 Productions Inc., VoiceWorks Productions Inc., and WB Games Inc.
What is SAG-AFTRA looking for?
According to SAG-AFTRA’s official statement, it is seeking agreements from companies that employ SAG-AFTRA member talent that provide “critical A.I. protections for members.” Negotiations began as early as October 2022, and by September 2023, the strike had been authorized, yet negotiations still took place.
In the same release, SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher said: “We’re not going to consent to a contract that allows companies to abuse A.I. to the detriment of our members. Enough is enough. When these companies get serious about offering an agreement our members can live — and work — with, we will be here, ready to negotiate.”
“Eighteen months of negotiations have shown us that our employers are not interested in fair, reasonable A.I. protections, but rather flagrant exploitation. We look forward to collaborating with teams on our Interim and Independent contracts, which provide A.I. transparency, consent and compensation to all performers”, commented Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee Chair Sarah Elmaleh.