SAG-AFTRA members have voted to authorize a strike against the video game industry.
The vote was 98.32% in favor of the strike authorization against 10 major video game companies, with 34,687 members casting ballots, representing 27.47% of eligible voters. While the authorization does not guarantee a work stoppage will occur, the vote permits union negotiators to call for a strike for a new Interactive Media Agreement if necessary.
“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 Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA national executive director and chief negotiator, in a statement. “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.”
The voting period began on Sept. 5 and ended on Monday, ahead of the next negotiation session starting Tuesday. Negotiations over the new contract — which covers voice, motion capture, stunt work and other performances on video games — have been ongoing since Oct. 2022.
The video game companies facing a potential strike include 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.
“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.”
Following the news of the SAG-AFTRA vote, a spokesperson for the signatory video game companies told Variety in a statement, “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.”
