A few days after announcing the “interim agreement,” after reaching a major video game company, US actor Union SAG-AFTRA has halted its nearly one year strike and directed its members to return production work that falls under an interactive media agreement.
Last July, the Guild-American Federation of TV and Radio Artists, representing approximately 160,000 members, and the federal government of radio artists announced a strike affecting all work under the interactive media agreement (including audio acting and other roles in video games). The move comes after the union failed to reach an agreement with a major video game company, as it renegotiated the terms of the contract despite more than 18 months of debate.
SAG -AFTRA was successful in negotiating a variety of important issues, including pay with inflation and job safety, including ample protection against the exploitative use of AI, but remained at a critical point. Back in March, eight months after the strike began, SAG-AFTRA said the proposals from the video game company were filled with “an incredible loophole in which members become vulnerable to AI abuse.”
But earlier this week, SAG-AFTRA announced that it had finally reached a “tentative agreement” with companies such as Activision, Electronic Arts, Epic Games, Insomniac Games and Warner Bros. And now, following the news, SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director & Chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Areland has officially stopped a strike against the signing company of the interactive media agreement as of noon today.
“All SAG-AFTRA members have been instructed to return to production work under the IMA,” the union announced.
Yesterday, British Actors Guild Equity praised SAG-AFTRA members for their “tension and tenacity” after the interim agreement was broken. Equity protested outside the BAFTA Games Awards in April, calling on the gaming industry to improve performance terms, including better wages, contract terms and AI protection.
