After a vote between SAG-AFTRA members earlier today in which over 90% approved the new Interactive Media Video Game Agreement between the union and 11 video game publishers such as EA, the strike is officially over.
If you haven't been keeping up with this story, SAG (Screen Actors Guild) members went on a year-long strike after the union wasn't able to reach an agreement with prominent developers in the video game industry over labor, disclosure, and compensation terms. Back in September, a tentative agreement was reached between the union and publishers that included additional payments to performers based on the number of sessions worked as well as full disclosure on the project that the talent would be working on. This would include the code name of the project, its genre, whether the game is based on previously published intellectual property, whether the performer is reprising a prior role, and if the role would involve the use of "unusual terminology" such as racial slurs and violent sexual conduct.
In a statement earlier today, SAG-AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris said,
“This agreement is the first step towards streamlining the work our members do in the video game industry. The deal includes significant improvements in the area of transparency and the payment structure ensures that our members are compensated fairly for their work. I am excited for what this means for our members moving forward.”The deal doesn't achieve all of the goals SAG-AFTRA set, leading to some discussion that they deserve compensation in the form of residuals per project, it also avoided some of the more contentious requests from publishers.
This agreement becomes effective November 8, 2017, and expires November 7, 2020.
What do you think about the voice actors strike? Do you think this is a fair deal between SAG-AFTRA and publishers? Let us know in the comments below!
Disclosure: Nick Maillet has been a proud member of SAG-AFTRA for over 20 years, but did not vote in this matter.
