Actors' Strike Ends, Putting Pressure On Video Game Companies To Fold

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SAG-AFTRA, the gigantic labor union representing tens of thousands of actors and other media professionals in the US, has announced that its long-running strike has come to an end after the union reached a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

In a statement released by the SAG-AFTRA negotiating committee, the union announced that as of 12:01am on November 9, 2023, the strike is officially suspended, and all picket locations will be closed. It comes after the committee unanimously voted to approve a tentative agreement with the AMPTP, nearly four months after the strike first began.

SAG-AFTRA says in the statement that the contract is valued at over one billion dollars, and says it secured unprecedented concessions from the AMPTP, including “above-pattern” compensation increases, new provisions for consent and compensation around AI, and a streaming participation bonus. Pension and health caps have also been “substantially raised,” and there have been increases in compensation for background performers.

“We have arrived at a contract that will enable SAG-AFTRA members from every category to build sustainable careers,” the statement reads, “Many thousands of performers now and into the future will benefit from this work.”

Actors in the union went on strike on July 14, 2023, after the union’s television, theatrical, and streaming contract expired without an agreement replacing it. What followed was months of negotiation with the AMPTP, in which the AMPTP reportedly refused to budge on key issues like the use of AI.

Just two days ago, SAG-AFTRA responded to the AMPTP’s “last, best, and final offer,” saying that the studios weren’t budging on the use of AI, and promising to continue negotiations. It looks like those negotiations have been successful for the actors union, although the exact details of the AI protections have not been revealed.

The actors’ strike coincided with the Writers Guild of America strike, which also sought to introduce protections against the use of AI. WGA’s strike ended on September 27 after the union reached a similar agreement with the AMPTP.

Video game voice actors voted to authorize a strike in September, too, and negotiations are ongoing. It's expected that the successful negotiation for both writers and actors will put pressure on video game companies, including EA and Activision, to avoid a similar strike.

The SAG-AFTRA National Board will have to review the tentative agreement before it’s finalized, which is expected to happen in the coming days. Following the board’s approval, the agreement will be published.