Video Game Actors To Vote For Strike Action
Image Source: CultureSlate
The TV and film industry has been in disarray following the combined strike action of the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA. These writers and actors are standing in solidarity with each other for better treatment from the studios they work for. Yet soon, it might not just be the TV and film industry in disarray. SAG-AFTRA has been negotiating with video game studios for a year since the Interactive Media Agreement was originally meant to expire, with those studios also failing to address the demands of the union.
Since the demands aren’t being met, the National Board and negotiating committee have unanimously agreed that it’s time to take things to the next level. SAG-AFTRA members will be voting on whether a strike authorisation will accompany the negotiating committee when meetings with the studios resume on September 26. With that strike authorisation in place, the leadership of SAG-AFTRA is hoping things will come to a quicker resolution.
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Image Source: YouTube
In the announcement, SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher stated, “Here we go again! Now our Interactive Agreement is at a stalemate too. Once again we are facing employer greed and disrespect. Once again artificial intelligence is putting our members in jeopardy of reducing their opportunity to work. And once again, SAG-AFTRA is standing up to tyranny on behalf of its members. The overlap of these two SAG-AFTRA contracts is no coincidence, but rather a predictable issue impacting our industry as well as others all over the world. The disease of greed is spreading like wildfire ready to burn workers out of their livelihoods and humans out of their usefulness. We at SAG-AFTRA say NO! Not on our watch!”
The union has been demanding protections against AI, stating that it could reduce the need for performance capture within projects. That on-camera performers have the same five-minutes-per-hour rest period that off-camera performers are entitled to. That a set medic is present for stunt work, as it is with TV or film sets. Prohibiting self-taped stunt auditions and vocal stress protections. And the same wage increases for video game performers as those under the film and television contracts.
Voting opens September 5 and will close September 25 for eligible SAG-AFTRA members. Should that vote be a yes, the National Board will then have the power to call a strike should negotiating continue to fail when it resumes on September 26.
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Source: SAG-AFTRA
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