The SAG-AFTRA has voted 98.32% in favor of authorizing a strike with the ten major video game companies as the two sides remain at odds over a new contract, the actors union announced on Monday.
The union said it has been in negotiations with ten signatory video game companies since October 2022, and they still do not have a deal as they enter a new round of negotiations this week. The companies potentially impacted are Activision Productions Inc, Blindlight LLC, Disney Character Voices Inc., Electronic Arts Productions Inc., Formosa Interactive LLC, Insomniac Games Inc., Epic Games, Take 2 Productions Inc., VoiceWorks Productions Inc., and WB Games Inc.
“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, according to the union's press release. “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.”
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Only 27.47% of eligible union members cast ballots in the election.
The SAG-AFTRA has been on strike in its negotiations with major movie and TV studios, known as the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, since July.
This past weekend, the Writers Guild of America, which represents movie and TV writers, announced it had come to a tentative agreement with AMPTP after a strike that had gone on since May. That new contract agreement still needs to be approved by the WGA's members.
The SAG-AFTRA video game actors appear to be dealing with similar issues as TV and movie writers and their fellow actors, which include demands for pay increases and regulations when it comes to the use of artificial intelligence.
“After five rounds of bargaining, it has become abundantly clear that the video game companies aren’t willing to meaningfully engage on the critical issues: compensation undercut by inflation, unregulated use of AI and safety,” said SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, according to the union's press release. “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.”
In a statement to Variety, a spokesperson for the video game companies said “We will continue to negotiate in good faith to reach an agreement that reflects the important contributions of SAG-AFTRA-represented performers in video games. We have reached tentative agreements on over half of the proposals and are optimistic we can find a resolution at the bargaining table.”
