As a long-time gamer and a member of SAG-AFTRA for over a decade, I can’t help but feel a mix of frustration and disappointment at the current state of negotiations between our union and major video game companies. For years, we have been advocating for fair compensation and protections that keep pace with inflation and address the use of artificial intelligence in our contracts.
SAG-AFTRA, the union representing voice and performance capture artists in the video game industry, has been negotiating contract terms with significant companies like Disney Character Voices, Activision Blizzard, Electronic Arts, Warner Bros. Games, Insomniac Games, and others for approximately two years. Unfortunately, these discussions have not led to an agreement, resulting in SAG-AFTRA announcing a strike.
For approximately a year, the union members have prepared for a potential strike. In September alone, around 35,000 of these members cast their votes to approve this action, with an overwhelming 98% in favor. This authorization granted SAG-AFTRA’s leadership the power to initiate a work stoppage against major gaming companies over the contested agreement. The contract between the union and these companies had expired on November 7, 2022. Since then, both parties have been functioning under month-to-month agreements.
The union has expressed that their pay hasn’t matched inflation’s rate and they have raised concerns about how gaming companies employ artificial intelligence in performers’ contracts, using their voices and likenesses to earn money. On the 20th of July, SAG-AFTRA’s national board granted Duncan Crabtree-Ireland the power to call for a strike. As of this past weekend, the union reported that they are still significantly far from reaching an agreement on essential terms regarding AI protections for video game performers.
Approximately eight months have passed since SAG-AFTRA, headed by president Fran Drescher, concluded its groundbreaking 118-day actors’ strike against the major film studios. This strike aimed to negotiate a new three-year contract for TV and theatre productions. The union approved this agreement, which they estimated to be worth over $1 billion, in December of last year.
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2024-07-25 22:25