As a seasoned gamer with decades of gaming under my belt, I must say that this ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike against video game companies is causing quite a stir in our community. Having grown up playing games from Activision, Disney, Electronic Arts, and others, it’s disheartening to see such a stalemate between the union and these employers.
After resuming discussions for three consecutive days, the union SAG-AFTRA and several video game corporations have decided to continue their negotiations in hopes of striking an agreement, as they were unable to do so previously.
On Saturday, the union disclosed their decision, specifying that details such as dates would be revealed at a later time. Concurrently, the union’s ongoing strike against employers bound by their Interactive Media Agreement (with only a few days left before the 100-day mark) persists. The Hollywood Reporter has contacted a representative from the employer coalition for comment.
Since July 26, the performers affiliated with the union have been on strike against Activision Productions Inc., Disney Character Voices Inc., Electronic Arts Productions Inc., Insomniac Games Inc., Take 2 Productions Inc., WB Games Inc., Blindlight LLC, Formosa Interactive LLC, and Llama Productions LLC. This action stems from a dispute between the labor group and their employers over AI-related terms in the contract.
On October 23, both parties resumed face-to-face negotiations with the aim of finalizing an agreement. Notably, the union had declared on the day prior that over 120 games from 49 different companies had provisionally agreed or accepted tiered-budget agreements with the union, effectively aligning with the union’s AI demands. During the strike, performers affiliated with the union can work on titles associated with these contractually agreed productions.
In response to the ongoing strike, SAG-AFTRA announced an extra halt in work on the hit production League of Legends, following accusations that Formosa Interactive attempted to bypass the strike by hiring non-union staff through a front company. However, Formosa Group denies these allegations. A charge of unfair labor practices has been submitted to the National Labor Relations Board, but it remains unresolved at this time.
As a gamer, I’m following the news that Ray Rodriguez, the top contracts officer at SAG-AFTRA, is leading the union’s bargaining table, while William E. Zuckerman, managing partner at Kauff McGuire & Margolis, is representing the employers in our ongoing negotiations.
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2024-10-26 19:54