Posted in: Games, Indie Games, Video Games | Tagged: gaming, SAG-AFTRA, strike

SAG-AFTRA Heavily Authorizes Strike Against Video Game Industry

After a three-week voting period, the vast majority of SAG-AFTRA voters approved a potential strike against the video game industry.

For anyone who thought SAG-AFTRA was busy striking against the AMPTP, think again, as they have authorized a strike against the gaming industry. Back at the start of the month, the organization announced they would be calling for a vote to authorize a strike, which they had until today, September 25, to vote. Last week, SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher urged members to get their votes in as soon as possible and give the union power to call for a strike if necessary. This evening, we finally got the results of that vote, and it's one the entire industry should pay attention to.

According to a press release sent out by the union this evening, the authorization to strike has been approved. But not just approved, overwhelmingly approved. 34,687 ballots were cast by members of the Guild, and of those votes, over 98% of them were in favor of calling a strike on interactive media. To be clear, a strike has not been called yet! Only that the members have the approval to start one if negotiations with industry leaders fail. The ten companies the guild highlighted for these talks are Activision, Blindlight, Disney, Electronic Arts, Epic Games, Formosa Interactive, Insomniac Games, Take 2 Interactive, VoiceWorks Productions, and WB Games. We'll be keeping an eye on this and see if the vote and the current developments with the WGA sway any decision-making moving forward, but for now, here are three quotes from this evening's press release.

"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. "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."

"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. "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."

"Between the exploitative uses of AI and lagging wages, those who work in video games are facing many of the same issues as those who work in film and television," said Chief Contracts Officer Ray Rodriguez. "This strike authorization makes an emphatic statement that we must reach an agreement that will fairly compensate these talented performers, provide common-sense safety measures, and allow them to work with dignity. Our members' livelihoods depend on it."

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!