Hollywood’s video game performers authorize strike if labor talks fail
LOS ANGELES听–听痴颈诲别辞听驳补尘别听voice actors and motion capture听辫别谤蹿辞谤尘别谤蝉听have voted to听补耻迟丑辞谤颈锄别听a听蝉迟谤颈办别听if negotiations on a new听濒补产辞谤听contract听蹿补颈濒, setting the stage for another possible work stoppage in Hollywood.
After voting closed on Monday, the SAG-AFTRA union said 98.32% of those who cast ballots had voted in favor of authorizing a听蝉迟谤颈办别.
The union is scheduled to begin contract听迟补濒办蝉听with gaming companies on Tuesday.
聽is the same union representing film and television actors who went on听蝉迟谤颈办别听in July, putting Hollywood in the midst of two simultaneous work stoppages for the first time in 63 years.
In May, roughly 11,500 Writers Guild of America members walked off the job. The writers union reached聽聽with major studios on Sunday.
The SAG-AFTRA agreement covering听惫颈诲别辞听驳补尘别听辫别谤蹿辞谤尘别谤蝉听expired last November and has been extended on a monthly basis as the union negotiated with major听惫颈诲别辞听驳补尘别听companies.
The most pressing issues for SAG-AFTRA are higher pay, medical treatment and breaks for motion capture听辫别谤蹿辞谤尘别谤蝉, and protection against artificial intelligence (AI).
These worries echo those brought by Hollywood writers and SAG-AFTRA members under a different contract.
鈥淭his is at an inflection point for our industry. In particular with AI, because right now there aren鈥檛 any protections,鈥 Ashly Burch, 鈥淗orizon Zero Dawn鈥听惫颈诲别辞听驳补尘别听voice actor, told Reuters.
鈥淪o, there鈥檚 every possibility that someone could sign a contract and be signing away the right to their voice or their movement,” Burch added.
SAG-AFTRA is seeking wage increases for听惫颈诲别辞听驳补尘别听performers, saying their pay has not kept pace with inflation, and more protections for the motion-capture听辫别谤蹿辞谤尘别谤蝉听who wear markers or sensors on the skin or a body suit to help聽驳补尘别听makers create characters’ movements.
The union is asking for “on-camera听辫别谤蹿辞谤尘别谤蝉听to have the same five minutes per hour rest period that off-camera听辫别谤蹿辞谤尘别谤蝉听are entitles to,” SAG-AFTRA said in a statement on its website.
The union will be negotiating with large听惫颈诲别辞听驳补尘别听companies, including Activision Blizzard, Electronic Arts, Epic听骋补尘别s, Formosa Interactive and others.
鈥淲e will continue to negotiate in good faith to reach an agreement that reflects the important contributions of SAG-AFTRA-represented听辫别谤蹿辞谤尘别谤蝉听in听惫颈诲别辞听games,” Audrey Cooling said Monday on behalf of the听惫颈诲别辞听驳补尘别听companies, following the听蝉迟谤颈办别听authorization vote results.
“We have reached tentative agreements on over half of the proposals and are optimistic we can find a resolution at the bargaining.” – Reuters
