The SAG-AFTRA actor’s union went on strike Friday against 11 video game companies following 19 months of negotiations centering on greater compensation for voice-over and stunt performers.
The work stoppage, which began at 12:01 a.m., covers games that went into production after Feb. 17, 2015, according to a union statement. It said union members would picket one of the targeted companies, Electronic Arts in Playa Vista, starting at 10:30 a.m.
The statement identified the other targeted companies as Activision Publishing Inc, Blindlight LLC., Corps of Discovery Films, Disney Character Voices Inc., Formosa Interactive LLC, Insomniac Games Inc., Interactive Associates Inc., Take 2 Interactive Software, VoiceWorks Productions Inc., and WB Games Inc.
The union, the largest in the entertainment industry, is reported to be seeking a compensation structure that would allow actors to start receiving residual-like payments based on a game’s commercial success. It also demands improved safety conditions for performers.
The proposed bonus system would have allowed actors to receive additional payments for every 2 million copies or downloads sold, with a cap at 8 million, the Los Angeles Times reported.
But the video game companies balked at the plan, instead proposing on Wednesday a 9 percent wage increase. They are also offering additional compensation of up to $950 per game based upon the number of sessions a performer works on a particular video.
“No matter what these companies are peddling in their press releases, this negotiation is not only about upfront compensation. It is about fairness and the ability of middle-class performers to survive in this industry,” a union statement said Thursday. “These companies are immensely profitable, and successful games — which are the only games this dispute is about — drive that profit.”
The parties have largely reached agreement on other outstanding issues, including vocal stress and stunt coordination, and have made substantial progress on transparency, according to an attorney on the companies’ negotiating team.
A federal mediator joined the discussions Wednesday but did not stave off the strike, whose intended duration was not immediately reported.
