Tag Archives: union

SAG-AFTRA Announces New Video Game Agreements for Students and Game Jams

Posted on by
SAG-AFTRA logo

SAG-AFTRA has announced the creation of the Student Interactive Waiver Agreement and the Game Jam Waiver Agreement, both of which provide video game developers at every stage of their careers the opportunity to work with union performers, even as the video game strike continues. The agreements help support developers at all levels who want to work with union talent and want to learn more about producing video games under a union contract.

Designed for students currently taking video game courses at an accredited educational institution, the Student Interactive Waiver Agreement provides an opportunity for students to work with SAG-AFTRA performers to satisfy course requirements during game development. The project must be recorded entirely in the United States and must be owned by the student, acting as the producer or signatory, and also meet certain other requirements. To get started on registering your project, please click the link below.

The Game Jam Waiver Agreement is designed for developers creating video games at “game jam” events, where designers and programmers work together as a team to create themed video games from the ground up. The project may not include material recorded prior to the commencement of the event. Under this agreement, participants are able to work with SAG-AFTRA performers and session fees and secondary payments are deferred provided that the project does not generate revenue. In the event that a project generates revenue, SAG-AFTRA will work with participants to sign the project to the appropriate agreement.

These two new agreements join the Tiered-Budget, Interim and Interactive Localization agreements as contracts that can be safely worked during the strike. To date, more than 180 games have been signed to the union’s interim and tiered-budget video game agreements.

Look To The Skies, Aircraft Inbound for Warcradle’s March releases

Posted on by

A new dimension to combat has opened up in Armoured Clash as aircraft for the released factions are coming this March. Get ready to add aerial units for the Crown, Empire, Union, and Enlightened with the Defiance Fighter, Doksuri Fighter, Corsair Fighter, and Scythe Drone, respectively.

Following the launch of the Enlightened last month, you can also bolster your army with the Wells Battlegroup Set, Enlightened Armoured Regiment, and Enlightened Infantry Regiment. These sets offer elements of the Enlightened Faction Battlegroup and are ideal for acquiring additional units for your army.

Finally, Union and Alliance players can add a legendary relic of the Ore War to their Dystopian Wars fleets as the Gotham Battlefleet Set is released this March. This Battlefleet Set offers a great mix of manoeuvrability and firepower, and it’s a great addition to any Union or Alliance.

These new products are due to be released at the end of March 2025.

Defiance Fighter

Boasting a tailgun as protection, an innovation that the other Great Powers deemed superfluous, dozens of Defiance class fighters are now based at RFC Lakenheath Warren, each ready to set flight at a moment’s notice to defend the Crown against her enemies

Defiance Fighter

Doksuri Fighter

Boasting a resin-lacquer shell, combined with the hanji paper of Korea, the fuselage of the Doksuri Fighter is flexible, light and durable, making it significantly more manoeuvrable than many of the fighters employed by the other Great Powers

Doksuri Fighter

Corsair Fighter

Pilots are known for both their bravery in the face of fire and their hotheadedness, and it is this impetuousness that seems intrinsically linked to those who dare strap themselves into a Corsair cockpit. Liberty Gatling Cannons rake the ground once a Corsair begins its strafing run, tearing apart infantry and light targets alike.

Corsair Fighter

Scythe Drone

Scythe Drones bring aerial support to the forces of the Covenant. Lightweight, fast, and eminently replaceable, these machines streak across the combat zone, unleashing their particle beam weapon upon anyone unfortunate enough to attract their ire.

Scythe Drone

Wells Battlegroup Set

The Wells Super-Heavy Surveyor is a behemoth worthy of such nomenclature. Looming over even the Monarch Landship of the Crown, it is a walking testament to the rightful superiority of the Covenant. Its aetheric destabilizer is rightly feared by the other Great Powers, for it does not simply destroy its targets but annihilates them completely.

Wells Battlegroup Set

Enlightened Armoured Regiment

In the Enlightened Armoured Regiment Box you’ll find heavy support for your Enlightened force.

Mars Battle Tripods stride towards the enemy, eager to unleash beams of blazing energy capable of disintegrating anything in their path.

Enlightened Armoured Regiment

Enlightened Infantry Regiment

In the Enlightened Infantry Regiment Box you’ll find support for your Enlightened force.

Citizen-Soldiers drawn from across the globe march together, their training and augmentations helping them operate as a cohesive unit, despite their disparate origins.

Enlightened Infantry Regiment

Gotham Battlefleet Set

The Gotham Battlefleet Set for Dystopian Wars is an excellent way for a Union or Alliance player to include a relic of the Ore War in their fleet.

The Gotham Littoral Fleet Carrier was rightly feared during the bloody conflicts of the Ore War. Despite its size, the shallow draught allowed it to access coastlines, estuaries and the larger rivers of the Americas.

Gotham Battlefleet Set

Comic Book Workers United ratifies its first union contract

Posted on by
Comic Book Workers United logo

The Comic Book Workers United has announced that on March 1st, the comic focused union ratified its first union contract. The union represents staff at Image Comics who voted 7-2 in January 2022 to unionize after announcing their intention in November 2021. They are part of the Communications Workers of America.

The union followed up in June 2022 that they were beginning the bargaining process with Image.

In a series of Tweets, they announced:

The CBWU is proud to announce that on March 1st, 2023, the workers of @ImageComics voted overwhelmingly to ratify our first union contract! #drawninsolidarity

We were hopeful for, but could never have imagined, the outpouring of support we received when we began our collective bargaining journey.

A lot has happened since that first announcement and we cannot begin to adequately express our gratitude to the community of people within and beyond the industry who have stood with us during contract negotiations.

As we celebrate this victory, we also want to reaffirm that this contract is just the first step, and we hope you will stick with us as we continue the fight for union representation and more equitable working conditions for everyone in the comic book industry and beyond.

In closing, to those of you out there agitating, advocating, and organizing, we see you and we can’t wait to see, #WhatsNext?

Comic Book Workers United announces next steps, bargaining!

Posted on by
Comic Book Workers United

After their history making win, Comic Book Workers United have announced they will finally be entering the next steps of their unionization process, bargaining with Image Comics.

In this step of the process, the union will negotiate with Image over worker’s rights like salary, benefits, working conditions, and other compensation. Employers have a legal duty to bargain in good faith.

In a series of Tweets, the union said:

The members of @cbwupdx are proud to announce that we have set a date for our first round of bargaining!

We understand that after the initial excitement of winning the vote, a period of relative silence can be a bit anticlimactic, but this is all a normal part of the process.

In the months since our previous update, we have been working diligently behind the scenes to make certain our union is able to achieve its objectives once we begin collaborating with
@ImageComics on our first contract.

We are so grateful for everyone’s patience and interest in our unionization effort, and we’re happy to inform you that we are now moving to this new stage in the process.

Speaking of unionization efforts, we are beyond thrilled to hear about our colleagues at Seven Seas and wish @_UW7S success in all of their endeavors. They wear collective bargaining well!

The wave of labor organizing in publishing is long overdue, and we’re ecstatic to see that the presence of unions in the industry is a growing trend. We all benefit from collective bargaining in the workplace and all workers deserve representation! #drawninsolidarity

Around the Tubes

Posted on by
K-Pop approve

It was new comic book day yesterday! What’d you all get? What’d you all enjoy? What’d you dislike? Sound off in the comments below! While you think about that, here’s some news from around the web.

Kotaku – In A Unionization Breakthrough, Paradox Interactive Signs Labor Agreement With Trade Unions – Will this start to happen in the comic industry?

CBLDF – Anti-Racism Graphic Novels Reading & Resources List – A good list of comics and materials.

The Mary Sue – K-Pop Fans Have Been Vanquishing Racist Hashtags and Police Apps – This has been amazing to watch.

Kickstarter Employees Vote to Unionize

Posted on by
Kickstarter

After months of rumors and tension, the employees at the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter voted to form a union. It’s believed to be the first of its kind in the technology industry. Employees have been battling management over numerous conditions that lead to some calling for a boycott of the platform and general split in how non-employees should react.

Kickstarter United will be formally recognized by the National Labor Relations Board.

The organizing took place over a year and a half and saw two leaders fired, two other workers leaving the company, and one other forced to resign. The company said it never fired anyone over union activity but that claim has been refuted.

The next step is for Kickstarter United to head to the bargaining table to negotiate a contract addressing the union’s concerns such as equitable pay, diversity in hiring, and a say in moderation of the platform.

The union will work with the Office and Professional Employees International Union Local 153.

The unionization was sparked in August 2018 over a comic book. Always Punch Nazis was accused by the right of violating Kickstarter’s terms of services and there was an internal struggle if the project was ok for the platform. Employees fought to keep the project saying it didn’t violate guidelines while management disagreed. The comic was initially blocked from the platform and then that decision was reversed.

Kickstarter United went public in March 2019 followed by management pushing back against the effort through email and meetings.

(via NBC)

Kickstarter Fires Three Union Organizers. Unionization Effort Launched Due to Comics (Updated)

Posted on by
Kickstarter

Kickstarter is letting it’s anti-union flag fly as it’s fired two staffers who were attempting to organize a union at the company.

Taylor Moore and Clarissa Redwine were fired within a week of each other. Both were involved in a unionization effort that began last year. It’s reported the reason for the firings were “performance-related issues.”

Update: A third individual was told there was “no place for him at the company” according to Moore. It’s unknown if that individual is still employed with Kickstarter but the wording of Moore’s Tweet would indicate that’s not the case.

Redwine and the Office and Professional Employees International Union filed an unfair labor charge with the National Labor Relations Board. They allege that the severance agreement offered to her by Kickstarter contained an illegally phrased nondisparagement clause. The Professional Employees International Union was the organization employees were organizing through.

The company in response to the charge has said that it offered Redwine a narrowed nondisparagement clause focused on employees and not the company as a whole.

Redwine has since tweeted:

Talking to Slate, Redwine said she believes that it’s impossible for a former employee to “give an accurate, detailed depiction of their experience” with such a clause. She went on to say that she feels any “agreement that treats severance as repayment for silence is an unethical one.”

Unionization efforts sparked by a comic…

The unionization effort began in March. In May, CEO Aziz Hasan told employees the company wouldn’t voluntarily recognize the union if asked but would respect the results of a secret staff vote. Since then the company has expressed to staff that it doesn’t believe a union is right for Kickstarter. They claimed it’d be “expensive, disruptive, and slow the company down.”

…the company has expressed to staff that it doesn’t believe a union is right for Kickstarter. They claimed it’d be “expensive, disruptive, and slow the company down.”

Kickstarter United, the union effort, has concerns over workplace issues like salary equity, diversity in hiring, and a seat at the table concerning company decisions.

The effort stemmed from the handling of a comic project, Always Punch Nazis. That comic has run two successful campaigns ont he platform with a third incoming. The comic made thew news and far-right site Breitbart accused Kickstarter of violating its terms due to allowing a project that encouraged violence. The comics’ titel comes from the incident where white nationalist Richard Spencer was punched. The satirical graphic novel was about the country’s battle against racism.

Breitbart’s article rattled Kickstarter having them review the project. The Trust and Safety team initially decided to not act about the project but then management overruled them saying it had to be cancelled.

Employees felt management was giving in to bigots. An emergency meeting was called to hear employee concerns. Management said that the company needed to be consistent and enforce its policies and that the project shouldn’t have been approved to start.

A protest then ensued saying management was making a “both sides” argument. Not all staff agreed the project should remain but the overwhelming majority did. Management eventually reversed their decision.

In the weeks that followed the employee who shared the decision about the project to the company Slack channel was fired. Workers believed it was due to the posting. Threats from management against the Trust and Safety team were made about questioning decisions. Employees were then reminded that New York is an “at will” employment state meaning employees could be fired at any time.

From there, the discussion to unionize began with the majority off junior employees supporting it.

Kickstarter has become a vital tool in the comic industry where unionization has been a hot topic for years.

Comics have seen 14,670 projects launched on the platform with 8,383 of them successfully funding. Those successful comic projects have earned over $93.88 million dollars. There are nearly 241 projects raising almost $1 million currently running on the platform as of the publishing of this article. You can find daily updates stats on the Kickstarter site.

Comic creators have been vocal in recent years over comiXology’s support of creators and conventions and their parent company Amazon. Labor abuses and anti-union efforts by Amazon and their clients was one reason cited for concerns. It’s unknown if Kickstarter’s anti-labor stance will see similar ire. Kickstarter is sponsoring tables and the Ignatz Awards at this week’s Small Press Expo.

(via Slate, Gizmodo)

American Federation of Musicians Pickets Marvel Studios

Posted on by

Not everyone is happy with Marvel‘s The Avengers.  The American Federation of Musicians picketed Marvel Studios’ Manhattan Beach facility handing out leaflets.  The organization is unhappy that the film was scored in Europe instead of the United States.  The leaflets read:

How many more billions do you have to make before Marvel will score their film music at home.

Other aspects of the movie were “union-made” and it received production incentive tax breaks designed to keep productions in the United States.  Disney allowed Marvel to score the movie overseas to save money.

Marvel and Bendis Want to Talk Charter Schools But Can’t Get Their Facts Straight

Posted on by

With the introduction of a new Ultimate Spider-Man in Miles Morales, Brian Michael Bendis and Marvel comics has decided to use the opportunity to discuss Charter Schools and their role in the modern education system.  Joe Quesada has talked about he and Bendis being inspired by the documentary, Waiting for Superman.  He had this to say about that:

Now while I don’t want to give too much away, over the years I’ve been really intrigued by the revolutionary work being done by educator Geoffrey Canada, and as we looked deeper into Miles’ character, I suggested to Brian that he watch the documentary, “Waiting For Superman” (ironic, I know!). Bri loved it, and the wheels started turning.

The announcement caused grumblings that Marvel was taking and anti-Union stance with the storyline as the documentary isn’t too kind for them, leading to this piece written by Rick Avers on the Huffington Post about the movie’s errors.  An outcry hit the blogosphere that the new Spidey will now be taking on union busting as part of his super hero gig.

In an interview on Word Balloon, Bendis waived his Union credentials and told people to wait to see how the story plays out, and I did.  Well, the first chapter has been released with Ultimate Spider-Man #1, and after one issue I think Marvel’s writers need to go back and do some more research.  From the comic book:

The two panels shows Miles Morales heading to his uncle’s after being accepted to a charter school.  His uncle asks, “Your daddy gonna be able to pay for it?” in reference to the school.  The problem is that’s not factually correct as to how charter schools work.  We followed up with an expert on the subject, a member of the American Federation of Teachers, about whether charter schools charge tuition as the panel implies.

I can’t really tell what’s going on in the panel. Is that the school that the kid is at? Looks like Bubbles’ basement in “The Wire.”

Charter schools are not supposed to charge tuition. They don’t. Some have requirements that parents volunteer their time (which, obviously, is like contributing money) and may have “activity fees” that are implied to be mandatory but are not. These are supposed to be public schools, so they should be free like all public schools.

Maybe Marvel’s writers are mixing up private schools and charter schools?  No matter the excuse or the reason, it’s hard to take serious their exploration of the subject if simple facts of whether or not you have to pay to go isn’t correctly portrayed.  I went from being open and intrigued by a storyline to back being nervous in a few incorrect sentences.

« Older Entries