Updates

October 18, 2017

On October 9, 2017, your SAG-AFTRA National Board unanimously approved a tentative agreement reached for a successor to the Interactive Media (Video Game) Agreement, ending a strike against 11 video game companies that began on October 21, 2016. Eligible SAG-AFTRA members will now vote on the proposed successor agreement covering Interactive Media.

Members with earnings under the Interactive Media (Video Game) Agreement or any other video game collective bargaining agreement on or after January 1, 2008 and who are eligible to vote were mailed a postcard on Tuesday, October 17, 2017 with ballot instructions explaining how to vote electronically or how to request a paper ballot. To view a preview of the referendum booklet online, click here.

All other eligible members who did not receive a postcard in the mail may request to vote on the referendum by emailing videogames@sagaftra.org.

If you are located in Los Angeles or New York, please join us for an informational meeting on the proposed Interactive Media (Video Game) Agreement.

Los Angeles – Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2017, 7-9 p.m. (PDT)
James Cagney Boardroom
SAG-AFTRA Plaza
5757 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
Parking will be validated.

New York – Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2017, 7-9 p.m. (EDT)
Multi-Purpose Room
SAG-AFTRA
1900 Broadway, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10023

For those in locals outside of Los Angeles and New York: If you are interested in attending one of these meetings via webinar, please contact your local office by the end of the day on Monday, Oct. 23, 2017.

Please Note: All meeting information subject to change. Check sagaftra.org and watch your email for notices with information
about meetings in your area.

All paid-up SAG-AFTRA members in good standing are urged to attend this important informational meeting. This meeting is
only open to paid-up SAG-AFTRA members in good standing, no guests are allowed. Parents/guardians of performers under
18 years old are welcome. No RSVP necessary.

You must show your SAG-AFTRA membership card or digital card on the app (paid thru Oct. 31, 2017) for admittance.

If you are unable to attend and have questions regarding the tentative agreement, please email videogames@sagaftra.org or call (323)549-6815.

September 25, 2017

SAG-AFTRA has reached an agreement to end the strike against 11 video game companies that has been waged since October 21, 2016.

The terms of the tentative agreement, which was reached early Saturday morning, include a new bonus structure that provides an additional payment to performers. The bonus payment, which is due no later than the release date of the game, is based on the number of sessions worked on each game, beginning with a $75 payment on the first session and totaling $2,100 after 10 sessions worked.  

“This is an important advance in this critical industry space. We secured a number of gains including for the first time, a secondary payment structure which was one of the members' key concerns,” said SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris. "The courage of our members and their fortitude these many months has been admirable and I salute them. We are always stronger together."

Keythe Farley, chair of the SAG-AFTRA Interactive Negotiating Committee, said the strike delivered key victories for member performers in the video game community.

“The bonus payments we have now are significantly larger now than what we had 11 months ago. And the existence of additional payments beyond your session fee is in the video game world for good, both in our high-budget and independent promulgated agreements,” said Farley. “Those are the victories that this strike has brought us.”

Chief Contracts Officer Ray Rodriguez, who was the lead negotiator on the new contract, said that the deal includes significant improvements in the area of transparency.

“The new transparency provisions will enhance the bargaining power of our members’ representatives by requiring the companies to disclose the code name of project, its genre, whether the game is based on previously published intellectual property and whether the performer is reprising a prior role,” said Rodriguez. “Members are also protected by the disclosure of whether they will be required to use unusual terminology, profanity or racial slurs, whether there will be content of a sexual or violent nature and whether stunts will be required.” 

The deal also contains an employer commitment to continue working with SAG-AFTRA on the issue of vocal stress during the term of the agreement. Moreover, the agreement does not include several proposals sought by management, including a provision that would have fined performers for being late or distracted at session, another that would have required agents to submit performers for low-paying “atmospheric voice” sessions or face fines, and a possible revocation of their union franchise, and another that would have allowed employers to use their permanent staff to do covered work outside of the collective bargaining agreement.  

The contract will next be reviewed by the SAG-AFTRA National Board at its October meeting.  

May 10, 2017

Listen in on the challenges facing actors today in keeping their voices healthy throughout their careers. The video game industry continues to increase the demands on voice actors with many actors experiencing short-term and/or long term damage to their vocal chords. This panel specifically outlines potential stresses encountered in different types of voice work, empowers actors to collaborate with directors and producers to create a safe work environment, demonstrates exercises for voice health, and offers expert advice in preventing and minimizing vocal strain and stress.

March 30, 2017

SAG-AFTRA has heard from several members who said recently they were approached by casting directors to do struck work for one of the 11 struck video game corporations.

While SAG-AFTRA is investigating these incidents, the union urges members to be vigilant. Accepting struck work is a violation of Global Rule One. If you are approached to do struck work, please call the strike hotline at (323) 549-6815. Calls can be made anonymously. Members can also contact the union by email at: videogames@sagaftra.org.

Members should also know: Many signs indicate that our strike is working and the 11 corporations are feeling the pressure. While we keep that pressure on, SAG-AFTRA has signed 25 games and 18 companies to our 2016 promulgated video game agreements. Because of the strength of our membership, SAG-AFTRA has the momentum.

March 24, 2017

Your support has been crucial in helping move the needle in the video games strike.

As we have kept up the public pressure on the 11 struck video game corporations, we have been working behind the scenes to sign new companies and games to our 2016 promulgated video game agreements. This strategy has allowed us to hold employers unwilling to provide safe sets and fair wages to account, while bringing new companies and games into the SAG-AFTRA fold to expand the slate of work available to our members.

Since October 2016, the union has signed 24 games and 16 companies to its 2016 promulgated video game agreements under the same terms that the AAA companies have refused. In the first three months of 2017, the number of signatories has doubled -- and new deals are being signed every week.

This success is a testament to the talent and professionalism of SAG-AFTRA video game performers and of your union’s willingness to work closely with employers who want the best talent working on their games.

Please share this exciting news and messages of solidarity on social media so we can drive our message home: As projects ranging from franchise titles to low-budget experimental games continue to go union, our momentum will only build.

March 16, 2017

Hundreds of SAG-AFTRA members and supporters recently gathered near SAG-AFTRA Plaza for a strike rally that supported video game performers. Actors were joined by members of the Writers Guild, Teamsters Local 399, the American Federation of Musicians, and representatives from the L.A. County Federation of Labor in support of SAG-AFTRA's ongoing strike against several top video game companies.Click here to see a short video recap.

January 23, 2017

LOS ANGELES (November 22, 2016) – The union representing Canadian voiceover and performance capture performers has joined with SAG-AFTRA and will help prevent struck video game work from crossing the northern border.

ACTRA and SAG-AFTRA recently strengthened their cooperation for cross-border labor protections and partnered on a joint event at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. Now, ACTRA has joined SAG-AFTRA in support of its strike of 11 video game corporations.

“All of ACTRA’s 23,000 members from across Canada stand in solidarity with our sisters and brothers at SAG-AFTRA as they take job action until they can negotiate a reasonable deal for their Interactive Media Agreement,” said ACTRA President Ferne Downey. “As a demonstration of this solidarity, we at ACTRA will refuse any struck work until a settlement is reached. All performers deserve fair pay for the use of our work and safe working conditions so we can go to work with peace of mind knowing that our performance matters.”

SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris thanked ACTRA members for their strong support.

“The video game corporations operate on a global scale so the support of our brothers and sisters in allied unions is vital in our continued strike,” Carteris said. “I want to thank ACTRA President Ferne Downey and the ACTRA leadership for their strong support. The stalwart solidarity of our allied unions from around the world is part of what makes SAG-AFTRA so difficult to fight.”

Statements of support from leaders of the U.S. and international labor movement are being backed up on the ground with members of AFM, WGAW, IATSE and the Animation Guild Local 839 joining SAG-AFTRA’s recent pickets of Electronic Arts Productions, Inc., WB Games, Inc., Voiceworks Productions, Inc. and Insomniac Games, Inc.

Last, week SAG-AFTRA announced the support of the Actors’ Equity Association, which also urged its members not to accept struck work.

Meanwhile, SAG-AFTRA held a virtual picket today of Electronic Arts Productions, Inc. and Activision Publishing, Inc., two of the 11 struck video game employers, and #PerformanceMatters quickly became a trending topic. That action came after approximately 450 members and leaders of SAG-AFTRA and allies picketed Insomniac Games, Inc. in Burbank Nov. 17. It was the union’s third picket since it began the video game strike Oct. 21. SAG-AFTRA’s pickets of WB Games, Inc. and Voiceworks Productions, Inc. on Nov. 3 and EA on Oct. 24 drew some 700 combined.

About SAG-AFTRA
SAG-AFTRA represents approximately 160,000 actors, announcers, broadcast journalists, dancers, DJs, news writers, news editors, program hosts, puppeteers, recording artists, singers, stunt performers, voiceover artists and other media professionals. SAG-AFTRA members are the faces and voices that entertain and inform America and the world. With national offices in Los Angeles and New York and local offices nationwide, SAG-AFTRA members work together to secure the strongest protections for media artists into the 21st century and beyond. Visit SAG-AFTRA online at SAGAFTRA.org. Follow SAG-AFTRA on Twitter (twitter.com/sagaftra), YouTube (youtube.com/sagaftra) and Facebook (facebook.com/sagaftra).

November 18, 2016

The Actors’ Equity Association has united with SAG-AFTRA and called on its membership not to accept  voiceover or performance capture work on struck titles from the 11 video game corporations during the ongoing strike.

AEA Executive Director Mary McColl called on the video game corporations to return to the bargaining table and said her union “stands in solidarity with and support of its sister union SAG-AFTRA as it fights for a fair contract for voice-over and motion-capture performers.”

McColl asked her membership not to cross the picket lines to work with the struck employers on the struck titles. “Equity members are reminded that they cannot accept work from these employers, and they should contact Equity immediately if they are offered any such employment,” she said.

SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris said the union welcomed the support from its fellow performers.

“The video game corporations we’re striking have tried to sow divisions among our membership instead of returning to the bargaining table to negotiate a fair contract,” Carteris said. “Not only are SAG-AFTRA members united in this strike action, but they have the support of their union brothers and sisters from AEA. I want to thank Mary McColl and the AEA leadership for their strong support.”

Meanwhile, SAG-AFTRA has continued picketing the 11 video game employers, with the latest action coming against Insomniac Games, Inc. in Burbank where close to 450 members marched on Nov. 17.

November 17, 2016

Approximately 450 members and leaders of SAG-AFTRA, together with members of Unite Here, AFM, WGA West and IATSE, picketed Insomniac Games, Inc. in Burbank on Thursday. It was the union’s third picket since it began striking 11 video game corporations Oct. 21. SAG-AFTRA’s pickets of WB Games, Inc. and Voiceworks Productions, Inc. on Nov. 3 and EA on Oct. 24 drew some 700 combined.

Momentum from SAG-AFTRA’s largest picket of the month-old video game strike will help raise awareness in the gaming community as the holiday season approaches.

“Each picket has brought out more members than the last." said SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris. “SAG-AFTRA members and our allies support this action and are continually raising the pressure on the video game companies to come back to the bargaining table with fair proposals so we can reach a deal.”

During the picket, Carteris asked members on site, and those watching on SAG-AFTRA’s Facebook Live feed, to tweet their support. The overwhelming response resulted in #PerformanceMatters becoming the no. 1 trending topic in Los Angeles on Twitter.

SAG-AFTRA is planning additional virtual actions during the holiday season to raise awareness in the gaming community of the video game corporations’ unfair treatment of SAG-AFTRA performers.

“The holiday season is a great time for SAG-AFTRA to get its message out because this is when gamers are thinking about new titles, and their favorite characters in those games. We are going to be a part of that conversation,” said Keythe Farley, chair of the SAG-AFTRA Interactive Negotiating Committee. “We’re asking gamers, when you pick up your favorite titles this holiday season, tell the video game corporations how much the voices you hear and the performances you see add to your gaming experience.”

Meanwhile, the video game employers' attorney is spouting debunked talking points instead of helping his clients reach a fair deal with SAG-AFTRA. Our members expect that when the negotiating committee submits a contract to them for ratification, it's because the committee that bargained it and the National Board both recommend ratification. In this case, no one is recommending their deal. Our members supported a strike authorization over these issues by a nearly 97-percent margin. Moreover, they have shown up in huge numbers to the pickets to let it be known that they overwhelmingly support this action.

Photos of the picket are available here. Credit: SAG-AFTRA.

November 17, 2016

SAG-AFTRA tried for more than 19 months to negotiate a new deal with employers in the video game industry. Meanwhile, performers have been governed by the more than two-decade old contract still in place. That has left voice actors without the protections necessary to work in the modern video game industry.

Today, SAG-AFTRA members and allies are on a picket line at Insomniac Games, Inc. in Burbank, CA (click here for details) to show that our greatest strength is our unity. If you are not able to join us in person, please join the #PerformanceMatters picket in social media. 

Ways to Join the Picket on Social Media: Today at Noon PT/ 2 p.m. CT / 3 p.m. ET.

At noon PT/3 p.m. ET today, virtually join those on the picket line: Show your support on social media by sharing the tweets below and these images; retweet and share SAG-AFTRA’s Facebook and Twitter posts; take a solidarity selfie or group photo, use the hashtag #PerformanceMatters and post it to Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. 

Sample Tweets:

• We need a fair contract for SAG-AFTRA’s video game performers! #PerformanceMatters
• Our greatest strength is our unity! We join SAG-AFTRA’s fight for video game performers #PerformanceMatters   
• Fairness. Safety. Respect. #PerformanceMatters
• I stand with the #sagaftramembers seeking a fair video game contract. #PerformanceMatters
• Video game actors deserve a fair contract and safe working conditions. #PerformanceMatters

For more details and to sign up for updates, please visit our website at sagaftra.org/interactive. If you have questions, please call the strike hotline at (323) 549-6815.

November 15, 2016

Please RSVP here if you can join us.

A food truck will be available to serve the first 300 who check in to picket!
Updated parking details below 

As we move into the holiday shopping season, let’s make sure our message is heard loud and clear – we need a fair contract for SAG-AFTRA’s video game performers!   

Join us tomorrow in Burbank for our next strike action.

When: 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 17. A food truck will be available on site to the first 300 who check in to picket.

Where: Insomniac Games, Inc.
2255 N. Ontario St.
Burbank, CA 91504
Click here for a map. 

Updated Parking Details: Carpooling is encouraged as is use of the Metrolink, which has a train station nearby. If you park in nearby Airport Economy Lot C (Thornton Ave. and N. Ontario St.) and bring your ticket to the picket check in, the union will reimburse you for parking (valid only for Lot C). Additionally, there is limited street parking available on Ontario St, Thornton Ave, and Empire Ave. Please read all posted signs. Union not responsible for illegally parked vehicles. See this map for details.

More than 700 members, including our brothers and sisters from allied unions, have joined us on the line for our first two pickets. That solidarity has sent a powerful message to the video game corporations: SAG-AFTRA is tough to fight. But this struggle isn’t over. We need to keep the momentum going until the video game corporations return to the bargaining table.

After nearly two years of unsuccessful negotiations, SAG-AFTRA called a strike against certain video game producers, effective at 12:01 a.m Friday, October 21. SAG-AFTRA is striking the following video game employers: Activision Publishing, Inc.; Blindlight, LLC; Corps of Discovery Films; Disney Character Voices, Inc.; Electronic Arts Productions, Inc.; Formosa Interactive, LLC; Insomniac Games, Inc.; Interactive Associates, Inc.; Take 2 Interactive Software; VoiceWorks Productions, Inc.; and WB Games, Inc. These companies are being struck only with regard to video games that went into production after Feb. 17, 2015. (Visit this page for a list of struck titles.) For additional strike details, click here.

In order to deliver our message to video game management, it is critical that all members demonstrate solidarity so that we can present a united front. If you live in the Los Angeles area — no matter what contract you work under — please join us on the picket line on Thursday morning at 11:30 a.m. Your fellow members need you! Please RSVP to interactive@sagaftra.org if you can attend the picket.

Our greatest strength is our unity and we look forward to you joining us on the picket line.

If you are on twitter, please use #PerformanceMatters to show your support, particularly during the picket on Thursday morning. If you can’t join us in person, please join us in social media for a virtual picket. 

For more details and to sign up for updates, please visit our website at sagaftra.org/interactive. If you have questions, please call the strike hotline at (323) 549-6815.

November 7, 2016

The following was released today by Equity New Zealand: Equity New Zealand joins our performer comrades in Australia, the United Kingdom and across the globe in expressing our unequivocal support for SAG-AFTRA members presently taking industrial action to persuade video game employers to enter meaningful negotiations about a new, fair agreement.

During more than a year of good-faith bargaining SAG-AFTRA has sought much overdue benefits for actors working in the video game industry. The claim includes payment for secondary uses, sufficient rest breaks to protect against vocal strain and greater transparency in negotiations to enable performers to bargain for fair remuneration.

Performers deserve a modern contract that offers the protections necessary to work in today’s video game industry.

Equity New Zealand is calling on all members to contact the union for advice immediately if they are offered any videogame work by a USA-based producer.

November 7, 2016

The following was released today by MEAA: The Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA) sends our solidarity and support to the voice artists members of SAG-AFTRA.

In September, MEAA joined our voice to the international community of performers calling for listed gaming companies to negotiate fair compensation and safe work conditions for voice artists. Last week, we issued a bulletin to our members notifying them of the SAG-AFTRA strike.

We call on the listed gaming companies to genuinely address the voice artists’ issues of concern. Voice artists need sufficient rest breaks to protect against vocal strain, deserve fair payment for secondary uses, and have a right to be informed when they enter contract negotiations.

If any MEAA member hears word that these listed gaming companies are offering work in Australia, they are advised to notify the union and we will take immediate action.

Voice artists of SAG-AFTRA you have the support of Australian performers.

We stand with you.

November 4, 2016

SAG-AFTRA today welcomed the release of Activision’s latest Call of Duty installment Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare by noting that dialogue by voice performers appears in 100 percent of the blockbuster franchise's gameplay.

SAG-AFTRA believes that performance matters and its members who are heard on Activision’s Call of Duty franchise have helped make these games international bestsellers. In fact, Call of Duty: Black Ops III is the top game on current-generation consoles, according to the company’s own figures. That helps explain why Activision has reported record third-quarter revenue of $1.57 billion, up from $990 million the previous year. The company now expects to finish 2016 with $6.45 billion in revenue —  exceeding its earlier forecasts.

Meanwhile, voice and performance capture actors who have performed all roles on all titles of the epic Call of Duty series since 2003 earned roughly 0.03 percent of the franchise's $15 billion in total sales, according to public reports and SAG-AFTRA figures.

“SAG-AFTRA understands that the great majority of work done on the Call of Duty franchise was done by committed teams of animators, coders and developers  — workers who were often required to put in twelve-fourteen hour days, seven days a week for months at a time,” said SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris. “While we applaud these herculean efforts, we believe that the culture of exploitation that exists in all aspects of the video game industry must come to an end.”

As of Oct. 21, 2016, SAG-AFTRA is on strike against 11 video game corporations, including Activision Publishing, Inc. For more information on the strike, please visit SAG-AFTRA’s Interactive Strike Center. 

November 3, 2016

Approximately 400 SAG-AFTRA Members Picket WB Games and Voiceworks Productions

LOS ANGELES (November 3, 2016) — SAG-AFTRA members Thursday picketed two of the video game corporations that continue to refuse to compromise on critical issues. Approximately 400 SAG-AFTRA and allied union members from AFM, WGAW, IATSE and the Animation Guild Local 839 picketed WB Games, Inc. and Voiceworks Productions, Inc. in Burbank, Calif. as the interactive video game strike continued into a second week.

Instead of returning to the bargaining table to resolve the nearly two-year-old negotiations, the 11 video game corporations being struck have hired a high-priced PR firm and set up a deceptive SAG-AFTRA website and Twitter handle. To date, SAG-AFTRA has picketed EA, WB Games and Voiceworks Productions, Inc., and is making plans for additional actions in the coming days unless the employers offer a fair deal.

SAG-AFTRA Interactive Negotiating Committee Chair Keythe Farley said, “There’s no justification for multi-billion dollar videogame companies to continue working under a substandard, 20-year-old contract that fails to provide for any form of secondary payment --- unlike every other contract under which professional performers work. Professional performers rely on secondary payments to survive between jobs and these payments reflect the respect we deserve for contributing our creativity, voices and likenesses to the games we help bring to life.”

SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director David White said, “We are ready to make a deal today if our bargaining partners will accept a reasonable contract that helps performers and corporations alike. Our members want to be back in the motion capture volume and recording booths using their talent to help bring these games to life. But we can’t do that until we have a fair deal that recognizes their contributions to the success of these games.”

Photos of the Thursday picket are available here. Photo credit: SAG-AFTRA.

November 1, 2016

The following was released  by ACTRA: ACTRA is proud to stand in solidarity with our SAG-AFTRA sisters and brothers as they continue with renegotiation of their Interactive Media Agreement, which covers production of videogames.

The negotiations have been underway for the past 19 months with SAG-AFTRA members continuing to work under the expired Agreement since late 2014. While SAG-AFTRA continues to request reasonable improvements for its members – including fair compensation for the use of a performer’s work and safe working conditions – videogame employers continue to refuse to engage in productive discussions.

As such, ACTRA is instructing our 23,000 members across Canada not to accept any struck work from the videogame companies involved in these negotiations effective 12:01am Friday, October 21, unless otherwise notified. For a full list of such companies, please click here.

At an international level, SAG-AFTRA received unanimous support for a motion carried by performers’ unions from around the world at the FIA 21 Congress this past September (to read the motion, please click here). The motion provided support for acceptable terms and conditions for videogame performers in the U.S. including fair pay, protections against vocal stress, and transparency regarding roles.

For ACTRA Members who have a question about the potential strike, the issues at stake, and if/how it impacts you, please contact your local Branch.

November 1, 2016

We had more than 300 members, including our brothers and sisters from allied unions, join our first video game strike picket at Electronic Arts last week. It sent a powerful message of solidarity — and that was just the beginning. Join us in Burbank on Thursday for our next strike action!

When: 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 3 

Where: WB Games, Inc.
Warner Bros. Studio, Cordova Gate
S. Cordova St. and Warner Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91505

Please Note: Strike captains and signage will direct members to the Cordova Gate. Click here for a map. There is street parking available on W. Olive Ave., W. Riverside Dr., Warner Blvd. and S. Cordova St. Please read all posted signs. Union not responsible for illegally parked vehicles.

After nearly two years of unsuccessful negotiations, SAG-AFTRA called a strike against certain video game producers, effective at 12:01 a.m Friday, October 21. SAG-AFTRA is striking the following video game employers: Activision Publishing, Inc.; Blindlight, LLC; Corps of Discovery Films; Disney Character Voices, Inc.; Electronic Arts Productions, Inc.; Formosa Interactive, LLC; Insomniac Games, Inc.; Interactive Associates, Inc.; Take 2 Interactive Software; VoiceWorks Productions, Inc.; and WB Games, Inc. These companies are being struck only with regard to video games that went into production after Feb. 17, 2015. (Visit this page for a list of struck titles.) For additional strike details, click here.
In order to deliver our message to video game management, it is critical that all members demonstrate solidarity so that we can present a united front. If you live in the Los Angeles area — no matter what contract you work under — please join us on the picket line on Thursday morning at 10:30 a.m. Your fellow members need you! Please RSVP to interactive@sagaftra.org if you can attend the picket.

Since our strike began, the video game employers have hired a high-priced PR firm, Singer Associates, to launch a social media war against you and your union. They even set up a misleading SAG-AFTRA website and Twitter account to spread misinformation and confuse the public. Now, they’re spending more on crisis PR than the amount they would spend in secondary compensation.

Our greatest strength is our unity and we look forward to you joining us on the picket line.

If you are on twitter, please use #PerformanceMatters to show your support, particularly during the picket on Thursday morning. If you can’t join us in person, please join us in social media for a virtual picket. 

For more details and to sign up for updates, please visit our Strike Center. If you have questions, please call the strike hotline at (323) 549-6815.

November 1, 2016

The following was released today by British Equity: Equity has today sent a message of support to SAG-AFTRA, our USA sister union, as its members take industrial action aimed at persuading video game employers to enter meaningful negotiations about a new, fair agreement. 

SAG-AFTRA members have shown good faith with the employers for the past one and a half years by working under an expired agreement while negotiations took place. Throughout that time SAG-AFTRA has continued to request reasonable improvements for members – including fair compensation for the use of a performer’s work and safe working conditions – but videogame employers continue to refuse to engage in productive discussions and the patience of SAG-AFTRA members has run out.

SAG-AFTRA has backing from across the world for its action. At a world-wide conference of performers’ unions in Brazil in October, organised by the International Federation of Actors, SAG-AFTRA received unanimous support for a motion which provided support for acceptable terms and conditions for videogame performers in the U.S. including fair pay, protections against vocal stress, and transparency regarding roles.

Equity is calling on all members to contact the union for advice immediately if they are offered any videogame work by a USA-based producer. Email John Barclay, Head of the Recorded Media Department, on jbarclay@equity.org.uk. Equity members resident in the USA or Canada, whether members of SAG-AFTRA or not, should contact the union’s strike hotline at (323) 549-6815.

October 31, 2016

LOS ANGELES (October 31, 2016) – SAG-AFTRA issued the following statement on Monday in response to the video game corporations’ public remarks about our ongoing negotiations:

The video game corporations are trying to convince our members and the public that video game actors actually support the last proposal that these companies made. In fact, our members have voiced their opinion of this proposal by going on strike. The game corporations and their representatives cannot unilaterally determine when we have a deal. They have no business even talking about our ratification process. No action can be taken by the union until the member negotiators — performers who regularly do this work — have a deal they believe is fit to recommend. Those members, after negotiating with the employers for nearly two years,  have rejected the employers’ unsatisfactory offer and have decided, with a nearly 97 percent strike authorization vote in hand, to call a strike. If the companies want our members to vote on a deal, we can arrange that as soon as they offer a deal that is acceptable. They know what that deal is.

Meanwhile, to help reporters better understand this process, here are some answers to frequently asked questions.

Q: The game companies say that if we took their offer to the membership, they would vote to take it. Why not do it?
A: Our members expect that when the  negotiating committee submits a contract to them for ratification, it's because the committee that bargained it and the National Board both recommend ratification. In this case, no one is recommending this deal. Our members supported a strike authorization over these issues by a nearly 97-percent margin. They have shown up to mass meetings to let it be known that they unanimously support this action and to send the message that if the deal does not address their issues, we shouldn't bother submitting it to them for ratification. We have yet to hear any members clamoring for the opportunity to vote up this deal. The only ones complaining that this deal hasn't been submitted for a vote are the employers and they don't get to dictate our ratification processes to us. 

Q: There does not appear to be a large economic difference between the employers’ last offer and your willingness to allow secondary payments to be optional. Why not just take their deal since the economics are so similar?
A: The employers' logic seems to be that because the Union narrowed the scope of our ask to the minimum that we need to get a deal done, we should just go ahead and give the rest up, too. We reject that logic. The fact that we have made it nearly cost neutral for the employers to evolve this contract in the direction of other mature industry agreements is a reason for them to say yes, not a reason for us to move even further in their direction.

Secondary payments are a core issue for professional performers across all the contracts we negotiate because they enable a freelance workforce to survive between jobs. They also reflect the respect our members deserve for contributing their creativity, voices and likenesses to the games they bring to life. These companies pay bonuses -- and sometimes even game royalties -- to their animators and developers and so they should. Those folks work hard and deserve a bonus when their work produces billions of dollars in revenue for their employers. Frankly, we think they deserve more than what they're getting. And so do our members.   

We have tried to accommodate the employers' concerns by introducing secondary payments into this contract in a way that allows them to preserve their existing compensation practices while allowing for other producers who sign the agreement to use a secondary compensation model in lieu of the additional upfront payments these employers have proposed. Not all game companies can afford to pay the upfront payments that the video game corporations have proposed. Even this modest compromise was rejected out of hand. We have gone as far as we're going to go in the employers' direction. It's their turn to be reasonable and compromise. Now that a successful video game makes more than even the biggest box office blockbusters, there's no excuse any longer for these employers to cling to a substandard agreement negotiated 20 years ago.

And none of this addresses the other core concern where employers have refused to be reasonable. Our members often go to work on video games not knowing the game they are working on, which is absurd. You would never work on a movie or television show without knowing the title and a whole lot more. This strategic withholding of information not only deprives performers of the ability to make meaningful choices about which roles to accept, but undermines the ability of their agents to negotiate appropriate compensation, which is really the point. Animators, developers -- all the employees who don't negotiate for their compensation on a game-by-game basis -- know the title of the game. Only the freelance employees are told they can't know the title and then some of them, especially the stunt and motion capture performers, are told on their first day of work because the negotiation for their pay is over at that point. This is another area where the employers' practices fail to provide our members the respect and fair treatment they deserve.  

Q: The game companies say that they don’t offer residual payments of any kind to programmers, artists, and other people who work on video games. Is this true?
A: No, the companies’ assertion is demonstrably not true. Take2 Interactive, for example, reported that it paid about $270 million in internal royalties in their most recent quarterly filing with the SEC. We also know from speaking to developers that many if not most video game corporations pay bonuses based on the success of the company. What we have proposed is really no different as applied to freelance workers -- we want bonus payments for performers working on the most successful games.

Q: Why are the companies so resistant on the performers' key issue of allowing for the option of secondary compensation?
A: We often wonder the same thing. They appear to be concerned that if they are seen to compromise with one group of employees, other groups of their employees might get ideas. This is not an industry with the best track record of labor practices. They have a long documented history of overworking their employees to the point of damaging their physical and emotional health. Our performers are at the vanguard of demanding better treatment, but they are surely not the only video game employees in need of it.

October 28, 2016

LOS ANGELES (October 28, 2016) -- Attorneys for SAG-AFTRA today issued a demand to the public relations representative and negotiations attorney for the 11 video game corporations the union is striking. The demand directs the PR rep to immediately cease infringing the union’s trademark and desist in its promotion of a deceptive website that masquerades as a SAG-AFTRA communications platform.

Citing the potential for confusion generated around the game companies’ use of SAG-AFTRA trademarks on this website and the absurdity of attempting such disingenuous tactics, union counsel issued a demand ordering the take down of the counterfeit website.

SAG-AFTRA Chief Contracts Officer and Lead Negotiator Ray Rodriguez said, “Management has a responsibility to negotiate in good faith. We could be making actual progress on the crucial economic, health and safety issues that led to this strike rather than having ‘Top Gun for Hire’ crisis PR advisors setting up misleading websites in an attempt to confuse people.

“The companies are spending more for a week of service from their PR hired gun than video game voice artists are asking for in secondary compensation on the most successful games in the world.

“This is the crux of our problem with these companies. They are not seriously addressing critical issues including how human beings are valued in the brutal technology marketplace. Our members want a deal. They want the respect they deserve for the extraordinary contributions they make to these companies’ products and bottom lines. They want serious consideration of their issues, not the indignity of a deceptive website.

“Our members have a message for the companies and their hired guns: Let’s get serious about getting a deal."

You can find the real issues at the Interactive Strike Center.

SAG-AFTRA called a strike on its Interactive Contract at 12:01 a.m. Friday, October 21, 2016. More than 350 picketers turned out for a rally and picket line at EA offices in Playa Vista, Calif. on Monday, October 24. The union has planned, but not yet scheduled, other actions for the coming weeks.

October 27, 2016

Statement by AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka on the SAG-AFTRA Video Game Strike:

The AFL-CIO stands in solidarity with the SAG-AFTRA voice-over and motion-capture performers who are on strike after failed negotiations with eleven video game employers. Performers deserve a modern contract that offers the protections necessary to work in today’s video game industry.

No one wants a strike. But, for nearly two years video game employers have been unwilling to meet basic demands necessary to bring this collective bargaining agreement up to the standards of other mature industry contracts. We urge video game employers to negotiate in good faith and work with SAG-AFTRA to bargain a fair agreement.

October 22, 2016

When: 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Monday, Oct. 24

Where: Electronic Arts Building
5510 Lincoln Blvd.
Playa Vista, CA 90094

Please RSVP here if you can join us on the picket line.

Parking: Parking is located on EA Way and Playa Vista Dr.
There is also a parking structure you may park in, but note that parking rates will apply.
Click here for a map.

Unfortunately the last attempt to reach an agreement with video game employers this week was not successful and their management remains unwilling to agree to fair terms that reflect the integrity and principles that SAG-AFTRA and our membership hold true.For the past two years we have attempted to reach a fair deal with these employers and they have left us no other choice. As of 12:01 a.m. PT, Oct. 21, 2016, SAG-AFTRA is on strike against the following video game employers with regard to all games that went into production after Feb. 17, 2015:

During a strike, it is critical that all members demonstrate solidarity so that we can present a united front to management. If you work for one of the affected productions, it’s your responsibility to honor the strike, but even if you’re not, your support is needed and appreciated. If you live in the Los Angeles area — no matter what contract you work under — please join us on the picket line on Monday morning at 10:30 a.m. Your fellow members need you!

If you are on twitter, please use #PerformanceMatters to show your support, particularly during the picket on Monday morning.  

For more details and to sign up for updates, please visit our website at sagaftra.org/interactive. If you have questions, please call the strike hotline at (323) 549-6815.

October 21, 2016

October 16, 2016

Dear Member,

Despite years of concerted and negotiating sessions, video game employers have steadfastly refused to reach a fair deal during our contract negotiations.

We head back to the table Oct. 17-19 with the goal of creating a fair contract that is rooted in industry standards and best practices. Based on past experience, we are not confident management is willing to make the changes necessary to bring this contract up to the standards of our other agreements. Unless you hear differently from us, effective Oct. 21 at 12:01 a.m., you should be prepared to strike the following video game employers with regard to all games that went into production after Feb. 17, 2015: 

Click here for the official strike bulletin.

Make sure that every actor you know — whether they are in the union or not — understands the importance of the issues and honors the strike. Not all games or video game employers will be struck. To find out more information on our proposals and what  you can do, as well as a list of games to strike if needed, visit sagaftra.org/interactive. 

Get involved! To receive updates, sign up here! If you have questions, call our hotline at (323) 549-6815.

Let's show the employers we are united and serious about settling a fair contract. Show your solidarity by tweeting #performancematters. Our power is greater when we stand together!

In unity,

SAG-AFTRA

May 26, 2016

Dear Member,

In early February, we asked members to report instances of vocal stress they had experienced while voice acting in video games due to employers pushing too hard or not providing adequate safety measures. We received a strong response and, as a result, SAG-AFTRA has issued a request to California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) to investigate these issues and also discuss member safety with the union.

Read the letter here.

Many of the stories we heard from members are truly disturbing. Among the injuries reported were instances of performers losing their voices for up to six months, tasting blood during their session, fainting or nearly fainting, and damage resulting in a permanent change to vocal range.

Vocal stress due to overwork has become increasingly prevalent and the resulting injuries put members’ careers and livelihoods in jeopardy.

We need to take action, and to do that, we need to build a strong case. Even if you have already shared your story with SAG-AFTRA, if you have experienced vocal stress or injury in the last six months or if you do so in the future, please take a moment to share your story with Cal/OSHA. Cal/OSHA is required by law to maintain the confidentiality of any complaint made.

To file a formal complaint, email the details of your session to Hassan Adan at hadan@dir.ca.gov and Cc Eric Berg at EBerg@dir.ca.gov and Jill King at jill.king@sagaftra.org.

With your help, we can lay the groundwork for getting better legal protections for all vocal performers.

In unity,

SAG-AFTRA

February 5, 2016

Dear Video Game Performer,

Vocal stress is one of the important issues on the table in the Interactive Media negotiations. Unfortunately, the employers have not given us a substantive response to our vocal safety proposal. While our goal is still to address vocal safety in our collective bargaining agreement, as long as the employers fail to respond we will be exploring other options to protect performers.

To this goal, two members of the negotiating committee recently made a presentation on vocal safety in video games to Cal/OSHA’s Occupational Safety & Health Standards Board.

Cal/OSHA, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, is the state agency that creates regulations around safety in the workplace. There are currently no regulations that specifically address vocal safety.

We’d rather not have to petition for new regulations, but since the video game employers are unwilling to address vocal stress in negotiations in a real way, we are investigating this further to protect the voices of our members. To do this, we are collecting material to put together a formal petition to the Cal/OSHA Standards Board around vocal stress.

What we need from you:

If you have experienced any vocal stress or injury in video game work, please share the story with us so that we can include it in our research. Your name will be kept confidential. When sharing your story, please include:

• When it happened
• What you were working on (do not violate any NDA’s- something general like “Battle game” will suffice)
• How the session was vocally stressful
• How long you did vocally stressful work in the session
• Please also share how the session affected you or your work (e.g., lost voice, fainted, couldn’t work next gig, etc.).
• Any additional information you feel may be relevant, including if there are certain employers or studios that have a pattern of not looking out for member vocal safety.
• Finally, please share any ideas you might have on how vocal stress should be addressed.

Please send information to jill.king@sagaftra.org.

Thank you,

SAG-AFTRA

January 26, 2016

As of Oct, 6, 2015, the members who work under the Interactive Media (Video Game) Agreements authorized SAG-AFTRA to declare a strike against producers under those contracts by a 96.5% margin. Nevertheless, negotiations since October have not produced progress on what you the members have told us matters most in this negotiation. 

On Saturday, Jan. 23, the National Board delegated authority to declare a strike to the Executive Committee. The significance of this is that while the National Board typically meets only four times a year and is not scheduled to meet again until April, the Executive Committee can meet at any time, which means the decision to declare a strike could happen at any time. To be clear, no strike has been called at this time.

Please stay tuned for further information regarding any possible strike and for updates on the latest developments in our negotiations. 

A strike under the Interactive Media Agreements will not affect all titles presently in production, only those that were not already in production as of February 17, 2015. Below is a partial list of titles that would likely be affected by a strike order. This list will be updated as appropriate in the event of a strike.

January 13, 2016

Dear Member,

Nearly 97 percent of affected members voted in favor of the Interactive Media Agreement Strike Authorization Referendum and, unfortunately, the demands of the employers remain outrageous. Our National Board meets later this month and if the employers do not make a sincere effort to reach an agreement before then, I will recommend that the board delegate to the Executive Committee the authority to call a strike at such time as they deem appropriate.

Interactive — that is to say video games and computer games — is a growing multibillion-dollar industry. It is a crucial part of making a living for many SAG-AFTRA members and some of our performers rely solely on this area of work. Unless the employers drop some of their unprecedented demands, we may have no choice but to call for a work stoppage. 

You will be receiving information about meetings where affected members can get the latest details and have a chance to hear from the negotiators and your Interactive Contract Negotiating Committee, led by Chair Keythe Farley. They have given tremendous effort throughout this process, working hard to move us forward at every turn. They have also done a remarkable job of outreach within the community, greatly strengthening our solidarity. I encourage all affected members to attend and hear their unique first-hand perspective in person.

In unity,

Ken Howard
President

September 30, 2015

All eligible SAG-AFTRA members with earnings under the Interactive Contract on or after Jan. 1, 2008 are encouraged to vote yes on the strike authorization vote for the interactive negotiations.

Please visit www.ivsballot.com/interactive to vote today. If you do not have the PIN from your postcard, you can click "Find My PIN” on the website and enter your SAG-AFTRA ID and the last four digits of your social security number.

If you would like to request a paper ballot, call Integrity Voting Systems toll-free at (866) 727-3052 (your PIN is required) before noon PDT on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2015. If you do not have the PIN from your postcard, please contact the SAG-AFTRA Membership Department at (323) 549-6458.

For all of the latest information about interactive negotiations, including an extensive list of FAQs, go to sagaftra.org/interactive. For questions, call the contract hotline at (323) 549-6815 or email interactive@sagaftra.org.

September 25, 2015

Eligible SAG-AFTRA members with earnings under the Interactive Contract on or after Jan. 1, 2008 were recently mailed an important postcard with strike authorization voting instructions.

Please visit www.ivsballot.com/interactive for more information and to vote today. If you do not have the PIN from your postcard, you can click "Find My PIN” on the website and enter your SAG-AFTRA ID and the last four digits of your social security number.

If you would like to request a paper ballot, call Integrity Voting Systems toll-free at (866) 727-3052 (your PIN is required) before noon PDT on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2015. If you do not have the PIN from your postcard, please contact the SAG-AFTRA Membership Department at (323) 549-6458.

For all of the latest information about interactive negotiations, including an extensive list of FAQs, go to sagaftra.org/interactive. For questions, call the contract hotline at (323) 549-6815 or email interactive@sagaftra.org.

September 22, 2016

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