For today's edition of the NPR radio program "Day to Day:
The Screen Actors' Guild has rejected a work agreement with the video game industry — but its sister union, AFTRA, has accepted. I talk with host Alex Chadwick about the contentious relationships between both unions and game publishers, and the debate over whether voice actors are entitled to a share of electronic game profits. What will SAG's rejection mean for actors? What effect will the dispute have on next year's crop of games?
Link to archived audio. Link to more archived "Xeni Tech" segments on NPR. (Special thanks to Wil Wheaton and Lazlow)
Previously on Boing Boing: SAG nixes video game work contract, SAG/AFTRA video game strike on the way for Hollywood?, Strike Looms Against Game Makers, Game biz coders want fatter paychecks, too
UPDATED: Not so fast. The Screen Actors Guild just issued this surprise announcement:
SAG President Melissa Gilbert and National Executive Director/CEO Greg Hessinger will convene a special meeting of the national board on Wednesday, June 29, to consider the tentative Interactive Media Agreement with video game companies that was rejected this past Tuesday by SAG’s National Executive Committee.
“When the NEC rejected the tentative contract earlier this week, we said we’d explore all our remaining options,” said Hessinger. “Since then, we have received feedback from enough of our membership to conclude that this matter must be brought before the full board for its consideration.”
The previous three-year agreement with video game companies expired this past May 13 after several months of bargaining with the companies. Over the course of the subsequent weeks, SAG issued a strike referendum to its affected members, before reaching a tentative agreement on June 8, which is set to expire next Thursday, June 30. The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, which negotiated jointly with SAG, approved the agreement last week and it will go into effect for their members on July 1, 2005.
