The SAG-AFTRA strike against the video game industry has entered its fourth month as a recent rally drew over 500 members out to protest. The recent rally happened in Los Angeles as members marched from their Los Angeles headquarters to their protest site at a park located right next to the Le Brea Tar Pits.
The union has already protested and picketed against Insomniac Games; Warner Brothers; EA; Blindlight; Corps of Discovery Films, Disney Character Voices, Inc.; Formosa Interactive, LLC; Interactive Associates; Take 2 Interactive Software; and VoiceWorks Productions. The recent protests have accelerated after initial talks, back in October of 2016, fell apart as the two sides seemed just too far apart to come to a compromised agreement.
David White, National Executive Director of SAG-AFTRA said of the continuing strike that, “We are not going to stop until we have a fair contract for our members. This is not just about money. It’s about fair working conditions and secondary compensation.”
SAG-AFTRA brings together two great American labor unions; Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and 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.
The SAG-AFTRA mission statement declares that, "We are actors, announcers, broadcast journalists, dancers, dj’s, news writers, news directors, program hosts, puppeteers, recording artists, singers, stunt performers, voiceover artists and other media professionals. Our work is seen and heard in theaters, on television and radio, sound recordings, the internet, games, mobile devices, home video: you see us and hear us on all media distribution platforms. We are the faces and the voices that entertain and inform America and the world."
Representative for the video game companies, Scott Witlin, has continued to rail against the union for not accepting the video game companies' proposals which included a 9% pay raise. Witlin said that, “We remain disappointed that SAG-AFTRA leadership remains focused on outmoded ideas about how compensation is structured rather than the real dollars and cents that the video game companies put on the table,”
The SAG-AFTRA proposals have included provisions for such things as; residuals, coverage on stunt coordinators, vocal-stress protections and full disclosure about what the job description is prior to a member accepting a proposed job.
PHOTO CREDIT: Variety
BROADCAST BEAT is the Official Producer of NAB Show LIVE for the 2017 NAB Show in Las Vegas. In 2016, our broadcast had 1.3 million viewers! For the most in-depth coverage of the show as well as insightful and exclusive interviews... Be sure to tune in at broadcastbeat.comINDUSTRY NEWS2 min read
SAG-AFTRA Strike Against Video Game Companies Enters Its Fourth Month
Broadcast Beat
Contributor
The SAG-AFTRA strike against the video game industry has entered its fourth month as a recent rally drew over 500 members out to protest. The recent rally happened in Los Angeles as members marched from their Los Angeles headquarters to their protest site at a park located right next to the Le Brea Tar Pits.
The union has already protested and picketed against Insomniac Games; Warner Brothers; EA; Blindlight; Corps of Discovery Films, Disney Character Voices, Inc.; Formosa Interactive, LLC; Interactive Associates; Take 2 Interactive Software; and VoiceWorks Productions. The recent protests have accelerated after initial talks, back in October of 2016, fell apart as the two sides seemed just too far apart to come to a compromised agreement.
David White, National Executive Director of SAG-AFTRA said of the continuing strike that, “We are not going to stop until we have a fair contract for our members. This is not just about money. It’s about fair working conditions and secondary compensation.”
SAG-AFTRA brings together two great American labor unions; Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and 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.
The SAG-AFTRA mission statement declares that, "We are actors, announcers, broadcast journalists, dancers, dj’s, news writers, news directors, program hosts, puppeteers, recording artists, singers, stunt performers, voiceover artists and other media professionals. Our work is seen and heard in theaters, on television and radio, sound recordings, the internet, games, mobile devices, home video: you see us and hear us on all media distribution platforms. We are the faces and the voices that entertain and inform America and the world."
Representative for the video game companies, Scott Witlin, has continued to rail against the union for not accepting the video game companies' proposals which included a 9% pay raise. Witlin said that, “We remain disappointed that SAG-AFTRA leadership remains focused on outmoded ideas about how compensation is structured rather than the real dollars and cents that the video game companies put on the table,”
The SAG-AFTRA proposals have included provisions for such things as; residuals, coverage on stunt coordinators, vocal-stress protections and full disclosure about what the job description is prior to a member accepting a proposed job.
PHOTO CREDIT: Variety
BROADCAST BEAT is the Official Producer of NAB Show LIVE for the 2017 NAB Show in Las Vegas. In 2016, our broadcast had 1.3 million viewers! For the most in-depth coverage of the show as well as insightful and exclusive interviews... Be sure to tune in at broadcastbeat.comFound this article useful?