SAG-AFTRA goes on strike again.
This time, the union is calling for a work stoppage against major video game companies after nearly two years of trying to renegotiate its Interactive Media Agreement. The decision to contest it comes 10 months after the union’s initial strike authorization vote. The strike begins on July 26 at 12:01 am
The 10 companies facing the strike are 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.
“We will not agree to a contract that allows companies to abuse AI to harm our members. Enough is enough. When these companies are willing to offer a deal that our members can live by – and work — we’ll be here, ready to talk,” SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher said in a statement.
In an interview with the press after the announcement of the strike that is being called, Sarah Elmaleh, the chairman of the committee that deals with the union and the player of sports like. Hi-Fi Rush, is about downtime during Comic-Con. SAG-AFTRA members are allowed to participate in the rally, which will continue through Sunday, despite the strike order. He said that the changing situation is due to the fact that “this is happening very quickly and there is no doubt that it will take time for our members to fully understand the strike order and the rules and all the other things. We feel we have a passion that being at Comic-Con to share what we need, why we need it, is the best way to do this, it seems, to be loud and open to conversation.”
Last week, the SAG-AFTRA National Board voted to place the power to call a strike in the hands of National Executive Director and Communications Director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland – a notable step and the first sign that the union is still he prepares to do well. their repeated threats to leave the table.
In his statement, Crabtree-Ireland said: “The video game industry makes billions of dollars in profits every year. The driving force behind that success is the creative people who design and develop those games. That includes SAG-AFTRA members who bring memorable and beloved characters to life, and deserve the same protections as actors in film, television, streaming and music: fair compensation and the right to permission. which has knowledge for the use of AI. their faces, voices, and bodies. Frankly, it’s surprising that video game industries haven’t learned anything from the lessons of the past year – that our members can stand up and demand fair and equal treatment of AI,’ and the community supports us in that.
It’s been nearly two years since the Interactive Media Agreement was extended past its expiration date to accommodate further negotiations between the union and the video game companies. Negotiations are ongoing for that long. The organization said on Saturday that, as negotiations continue, the parties “remain divided” on the terms of artificial intelligence.
AI has been a sticking point in this contract for months, and a strike has been expected since Crabtree-Ireland addressed the issue during a panel at SXSW in March.
A spokesman for the video game producers weighed in on the strike, saying: “We are disappointed that the union has chosen to walk away when we are so close to an agreement, and we remain committed to resuming negotiations.” We have found common ground on 24 of the 25 proposals, including historic wage increases and other safety provisions.Our proposal directly responds to SAG-AFTRA’s concerns and extends reasonable protections of AI that includes the lack of consent and fair compensation for all who work under the IMA. These words are some of the most powerful in the entertainment industry.”
In September, members authorized a strike on the current contract. The vote was 98.32% in favor. A total of 34,687 members voted, representing 27.47% of those eligible to vote. The last SAG-AFTRA strike against sports companies, in 2016-17, lasted 183 days.
The news of the other actors’ strike comes more than a year after SAG-AFTRA went on strike against major Hollywood studios, spending 118 days on the ballot to reach a new film and television contract and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. Much like the Interactive Media Agreement, AI was a major point of contention in those negotiations and, in the end, was one of the last points on which both sides reached an agreement.
Although there was pushback from members on the AI terms of the contract, it was approved with 78% approval in October.
This call for labor action from the actors’ union comes as IATSE has confirmed its new contracts with the studios, but as the Hollywood Teamsters remain locked in negotiations with AMPTP for a new three-year contract. The local 399 has doubled the debate now over its original time of July 19. With wage increases at the heart of the negotiations that have yet to be resolved, the Teamsters’ current contract with the studios expires on July 31.
Dade Hayes contributed to this report.
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