After the WGA writers' strike finally came to an end after over 100 days, you might have been anticipating the SAG-AFTRA actors' strike following suit as the union and studios headed back to the negotiating table.
26.09.2023 - 10:31 / eurogamer.net / Fran Drescher
Members of the major SAG-AFTRA acting union have overwhelmingly voted in favour of authorising a potential video game strike.
Ballots were cast by 34,687 members, with 98.32 percent in favour of strike authorisation on the Interactive Media Agreement that covers union members' work on video games.
While this does not guarantee the union will call a strike, the next bargaining session is this week, and this ratchets up the pressure. The leverage of this authorisation could compel movement on either side.
SAG-AFTRA members have been striking since July this year, with both actors and writers walking out due to disputes in the film and television industries. This has now been extended to video games.
Since October 2022, the union has been in Interactive Media Agreement negotiations with a number of video game companies including Activision, EA, Insomniac, Epic Games, Take 2 Productions, Warner Bros and more.
However, the union argues these companies have refused to offer acceptable terms on issues critical to its members, such as wages in-line with inflation, protections around exploitative uses of AI, and basic safety precautions.
«It's time for the video game companies to stop playing games and get serious about reaching an agreement on this contract,» said SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher.
«The result of this vote shows our membership understands the existential nature of these negotiations, and that the time is now for these companies — which are making billions of dollars and paying their CEOs lavishly — to give our performers an agreement that keeps performing in video games as a viable career.»
The union's national executive director and chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland added: «I remain hopeful that we will be able to reach an agreement that meets members' needs, but our members are done being exploited, and if these corporations aren't willing to offer a fair deal, our next stop will be the picket lines.»
Chief contracts officer Ray Rodriguez also commented: «Between the exploitative uses of AI and lagging wages, those who work in video games are facing many of the same issues as those who work in film and television.
»This strike authorization makes an emphatic statement that we must reach an agreement that will fairly compensate these talented performers, provide common-sense safety measures, and allow them to work with dignity. Our members' livelihoods depend on it."
The success of video games — plus advancements in performance capture technology — has provided increased opportunities for actors in the industry, but this has led to high profile issues.
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The actors union group SAG-AFTRA has voted overwhelmingly in favour of a potential strike against the games industry. Members were nearly unanimous, with 98.32 per cent of the vote being in favour of a strike — if a strike is necessary.
SAG-AFTRA union members have voted yes to authorize a video game strike. It did so with a 98.72% vote in favor of authorizing a strike on the Interactive Media Agreement that covers its members' work in the games industry. In total, 34,687 members cast ballots, which represents 27.47% of eligible voters, SAG-AFTRA writes in a press release.
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The vote to authorize a potential strike for SAG-AFTRA video game performers passed overwhelmingly.
It’s been a very unique time in Hollywood lately, as the last several months have been highlighted not only by certain movies doing incredibly at the box office but also by the dual strikes that have been filling the streets of Los Angeles, protesting the work conditions of those within the entertainment industry. It started back in May when the Writers Guild went on strike and demanded both better pay and knowledge that AI wouldn’t be used to replace them, amongst other things. Then, SAG-AFTRA, the Screen Actors Guild, also joined the fight because the vast amount of their workers weren’t being paid fairly either.
By Ash Parrish, a reporter who has covered the business, culture, and communities of video games for seven years. Previously, she worked at Kotaku.