SAG-AFTRA Remains Significantly Divided from Major Sports Corporations
“The negotiating team would have you think that we are on the verge of finalizing a deal – this is not the truth.”
SAG-AFTRA – the union that represents 160,000 actors, voiceover artists, and other media professionals – has released an update regarding the video game strike, stating it remains “frustratingly distant” from reaching an agreement with game studios and publishers.
In a statement, the union mentioned it is working to address “concerning loopholes” in a proposal put forth by the negotiating team, which includes representatives from Activision, Blindlight, Disney Character Voices, EA, Formosa Interactive, Insomniac Games, Llama Productions, Take-Two, and WB Games.
“The negotiating team would have you think that we are on the verge of finalizing a deal,” the union stated. “This is not the truth. They are also hoping our members will turn against one another. We encourage you to review this comprehensive updated comparison chart of AI proposals to see for yourself how far apart we remain on essential AI protections for all performers.
“They aim to utilize all past performances and any performance they can procure from outside the contract without any of the safeguards being negotiated at all. You could be informed nothing about your likeness being utilized, offered no compensation, and have no recourse. They want to be able to make your likeness continue to work, as if you, during a future strike, whether you agree or not. And once you’ve granted your explicit consent for how your likeness can be used, they refuse to disclose what they actually did with it.”
The union did acknowledge, however, that while it has yet to find adequate common ground with the negotiating team, it has experienced “considerable success with other employers,” with over 160 upcoming games signing onto the “temporary and independent agreements.”
“Those agreements encompass the protections we have been requesting.