Actors' Unions to Vote on Strike Over Video Game Payments

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 25, 2005 - 6:30am.

Los Angeles -- The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), two unions that represent actors in labor negotiations, announced that they have asked their members to vote on whether to strike against the video game industry. Actors believe they should be compensated in accordance with game sales, in addition to lump sum advance payments, for the use of their voices and likenesses in video games. Negotiations between video game publishers and actors recently broke down, following the expiration of existing contracts in December. Members of the actors' unions picketed outside the video game industry's E3 Expo last week in Los Angeles. Under union rules, 75% of SAG members and two-thirds of AFTRA members must vote in favor to authorize a strike; results of the votes are expected on June 7.
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