Tag Archives: unions

Kickstarter United Ends its Six-Week Strike with a Victory

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Kickstarter United

On September 26, members of Kickstarter United, the union that represents Kickstarter employees, voted with 85% approval to go on strike. The strike began October 2 at 8am. After about a month and a half, the union has ended the strike with a resounding victory.

The union prevailed with an impressive list of protections and improvement to employment.

They codified a Four-Day Workweek, with strong protections if management tries to force them to revert to a five-day workweek.

  • Temporary changes to Five-Day Workweek must be justified, with notice in advance, and a time limit
  • Permanent changes to Five-Day Workweek must involve bargaining with the union
  • If management tries to force it anyway, they can strike

They won strong provisions to raise their minimum salary floor considerably!

  • An escalating increase in the pay floor based on cost of living, an average 6% increase to the most undervalued workers
  • A one-time $6,000 bonus for the most undervalued workers
  • Yearly national benchmarking to push pay upwards across the whole unit

They won many improvements to their working conditions with no regressions in our worker protections!

  • Cannot replace a role with AI, and management must work with employees if AI changes a role
  • Strong protections against replacing full time employees with contractors
  • More input from employees with a regular forum for business operations

Congrats to the union and everyone that participated and supported them.

Danny Lin Elected President as the Animation Guild Names its New Executive Board and Officers

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The Animation Guild

The results of the 2025 officers and executive board election for the Animation Guild, IATSE Local 829 have been announced.

The following Guild members were elected as officers:

  • President Danny Lin (unopposed)
  • Vice President Roger Oda (unopposed)
  • Business Representative Steve Kaplan (unopposed)
  • Treasurer Paula Spence (unopposed)
  • Secretary Jeanette Moreno King
  • Sergeant-at-Arms David DePasquale

The following 11 Guild members were elected to the Executive Board, in order of vote count:

  • Marissa Bernstel
  • Candice Stephenson
  • Rachael Cohen
  • Chrissy Fellmeth
  • Andy Garner-Flexner
  • Roma Murphy
  • Dan Pinto
  • Kolja Erman
  • KC Johnson
  • Mike Rianda
  • Claire Morrissey

The following three candidates received the most votes and are therefore appointed as Trustees:

  • Marissa Bernstel
  • Candice Stephenson
  • Rachael Cohen

The officers and executive board members will be sworn into office on December 2, 2025 and begin their three-year term.

Kickstarter Employees Go On Strike

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Kickstarter United

On September 26, members of Kickstarter United, the union that represents Kickstarter employees, voted with 85% approval to go on strike. The strike began October 2 at 8am.

The demands from the union are:

  • Protect the 32-hour, 4-day workweek that’s been in place for over three years.
  • Establish a minimum salary that provides a livable wage for all workers.

The 3 year agreement between management and staff, covering 59 community support specialists, trust and safety analysts, marketing professionals, software engineers, and other tech workers expired in July 2025. Bargaining began in April 2025 with management rejecting every proposal for a minimum salary and their insistence on returning to a 5-day, 40-hour workweek.

The minimum salary being asked for is $85,000, considered “low income” in New York City.

The union is interestingly not calling for a boycott of Kickstarter and instead are looking for people to rally with them, donate to their solidarity fund, and contact Kickstarter management to tell them to meet workers’ demands,

Kickstarted United was voted on my employees to form in February 2020 and part of OPEIU Local 153. You can read more about the union and the strike on their website.

SAG-AFTRA Members Approve the 2025 Video Game Agreement

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SAG-AFTRA logo

In national voting completed today, SAG-AFTRA members approved the 2025 SAG-AFTRA Interactive Media Agreement by a vote of 95.04% to 4.96%, ratifying the deal and concluding the video game strike, which had already been suspended pending ratification.

The agreement provides compounded increases in performer compensation at a rate of 15.17% upon ratification plus additional 3% increases in November 2025, November 2026 and November 2027. Additionally, the overtime rate maximum for overscale performers will now be based on double scale. The health & retirement contribution rates to the AFTRA Retirement Fund will now be raised from 16.5% to 17% and then to 17.5% in October 2026.

The new contract also accomplishes performer safety guardrails and gains around A.I., including consent and disclosure requirements for A.I. digital replica use and the ability for performers to suspend consent for the generation of new material during a strike.

Votes were submitted online and by mail-in ballot, with the deadline of today, July 9, 2025, at 5 p.m. PT. The final vote was certified by Integrity Voting Systems, an impartial election service based in Everett, Washington.

The SAG-AFTRA National Board Approves the Interactive Media Agreement. Goes to Member Vote

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SAG-AFTRA logo

The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) National Board approved the tentative agreement with the video game bargaining group on terms for the Interactive Media Agreement. The contract will now be submitted to the membership for ratification.

If ratified, the agreement would provide compounded increases in performer compensation at a rate of 15.17% upon ratification plus additional 3% increases in Nov. 2025, Nov. 2026 and Nov. 2027. Additionally, the overtime rate maximum for overscale performers will now be based on double scale. The health and retirement contribution rates to the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan will be raised from 16.5% to 17% upon ratification and to 17.5% in Oct. 2026. 

The new contract accomplishes important guardrails and gains around A.I., including the requirement of informed consent across various A.I. uses and the ability for performers to suspend informed consent for Digital Replica use during a strike. Compensation gains include the establishment of collectively-bargained minimums for the use of Digital Replicas created with IMA-covered performances and higher minimums (7.5x scale) for “Real Time Generation,” i.e., embedding a Digital Replica-voiced chatbot in a video game. “Secondary Performance Payments” will also ensure compensation when visual performances are re-used in another video game. 

Essential new safety provisions were also secured, including a requirement for a qualified medical professional to be present or readily available at rehearsals and performances during which hazardous actions or working conditions are planned. Rest periods are now provided for on-camera principal performers and employers can no longer request that performers complete stunts or other dangerous activity in virtual auditions. 

The full terms of the three-year deal will be released with the ratification materials on Wednesday, June 18. 

A tentative agreement was reached with the video game employers on June 9 and the strike was officially suspended on June 11.

Member informational meetings are being scheduled and additional details will be available at sagaftra.org/videogames2025 in the coming days. 

Eligible SAG-AFTRA members will have until 5 p.m. PDT on Wednesday, July 9, 2025 to cast their vote on ratification. 

The SAG-AFTRA Video Game Strike has been Suspended

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SAG-AFTRA logo

Pursuant to the authority previously delegated by the National Board, with the advice and consent of the Interactive Media Agreement (IMA) Negotiating Committee, National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland officially suspends the SAG-AFTRA strike against the companies signatory to the Interactive Media Agreement. The strike officially was suspended at noon PT, Wednesday, June 11, 2025.

SAG-AFTRA members have been instructed to return to work on productions under the IMA, including work promoting or publicizing projects produced under the IMA.

The SAG-AFTRA National Board is meeting in special session on June 12, 2025 to consider the tentative agreement. If approved, it will be sent out for ratification by the union’s membership in accordance with established policy. Details of the agreement will be released at that time.

SAG-AFTRA and Video Game Employers Reach a Tentative Agreement on Interactive Media Contract. National Board to Review

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SAG-Aftra Interactive Media Agreement

Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) and the signatory video game companies, which include Activision Productions Inc., Blindlight LLC, Disney Character Voices Inc., Electronic Arts Productions Inc., Epic Games Inc., Formosa Interactive LLC, Insomniac Games Inc., Take 2 Productions Inc., and WB Games Inc. have reached a tentative agreement on terms for the Interactive Media Contract, subject to review and approval by the National Board and ratification by the membership in the coming weeks. Specific details of the agreement will be released with the ratification materials.

It is expected the terms of a strike suspension agreement will be finalized with employers soon. Until such agreement is reached, however, SAG-AFTRA members will remain on strike against these employers.

SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland said:

Everyone at SAG-AFTRA is immensely grateful for the sacrifices made by video game performers and the dedication of the Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee throughout these many months of the video game strike. Patience and persistence has resulted in a deal that puts in place the necessary A.I. guardrails that defend performers’ livelihoods in the A.I. age, alongside other important gains. Thank you, Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Chair Sarah Elmaleh and Chief Contracts Officer Ray Rodriguez for your hard work and advocacy in pursuit of this contract.

SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher stated:

Our video game performers stood strong against the biggest employers in one of the world’s most lucrative industries. Their incredible courage and persistence, combined with the tireless work of our negotiating committee, has at last secured a deal. The needle has been moved forward and we are much better off than before. As soon as this is ratified we roll up our sleeves and begin to plan the next negotiation. Every contract is a work in progress and progress is the name of the game.

SAG-AFTRA members have been on strike against video game employers since July 26, 2024. Prior to that, SAG-AFTRA members approved a video game strike authorization in September 2023 with a 98.32% yes vote.

SAG-AFTRA files an Unfair Labor Practice Charge Against Llama Productions over Darth Vader AI in Fortnite

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SAG-Aftra Interactive Media Agreement

The use of AI in entertainment has been a hot topic in recent years with a lot of negotiations and strikes regarding the topic. At the heart is the want of producers of content to be able to use AI to replicate actors, using their likeness and voice. The actors obviously want to be fairly compensated for that or it not to be used at all as the rise of this “creation” would diminish opportunities and endanger their livelihood.

Fortnite is currently doing a Star Wars crossover and that includes the replacement of human performers with AI technology which has caused SAG-AFTRA to not only speak out but take action.

SAG-AFTRA has released a statement as well as filed an “unfair labor practice charge” against Llama Productions to the NLRB. You can see a copy of that filing below.

We celebrate the right of our members and their estates to control the use of their digital replicas and welcome the use of new technologies to allow new generations to share in the enjoyment of those legacies and renowned roles. However, we must protect our right to bargain terms and conditions around uses of voice that replace the work of our members, including those who previously did the work of matching Darth Vader’s iconic rhythm and tone in video games.

Fortnite’s signatory company, Llama Productions, chose to replace the work of human performers with A.I. technology. Unfortunately, they did so without providing any notice of their intent to do this and without bargaining with us over appropriate terms. As such, we have filed an unfair labor practice charge with the NLRB against Llama Productions.

In that filing SAG-AFTRA charges:

Within the past six months, the Employer, by its agents and representatives, failed and refused to bargain in good faith with the union by making unilateral changes to terms and conditions of employment, without providing notice to the union or the opportunity to bargain, by utilizing AI-generated voices to replace bargaining unit work on the Interactive Program Fortnite.

SAG-AFTRA has negotiating an Interactive Media Agreement with video game producers with a strike that began in July and remains in effect.

SAG-AFTRA went on strike against some of the largest game companies in July, after more than 18 months of negotiation during which employers refused to agree to A.I. terms that would protect all SAG-AFTRA members who work on video games. Meanwhile, more than 100 video games have been signed to the union’s Interim Agreement and Tiered Budget Independent Agreement, which contain the protections SAG-AFTRA was seeking, showing that the union’s terms are reasonable and feasible for business.

SAG-AFTRA and Nickelodeon Reach a Tentative Agreement

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SAG-AFTRA logo

Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) and Nickelodeon have reached a tentative agreement on terms for their 2025 SAG-AFTRA/Nickelodeon Animation Studios, Inc. Basic Cable Television Animation Agreement (“Nickelodeon Animation Agreement”).

The Nickelodeon Animation Agreement is the contract covering animated programs for Nickelodeon basic cable and Paramount+ (The Loud House, Patrick Star Show, Kamp Koral, Rock Paper Scissors, Rugrats, Dora the Explorer, etc.). 

Among the highlights of the contract are: 

  • Pay increases worth over $3.25 million dollars in instant gains for members.
  • Retained higher Legacy rates.
  • Increased rates for Interstitials.
  • Increased promo tag rate to $93 per tag.
  • Special allocation of Health and Retirement contributions increase 75% to Health, 25% to Retirement.
  • New 25% premium for multitracking/sweetening.
  • Incorporate the updated Television Animation Agreement Made For New Media Sideletter, which includes 2023 SVOD budgets for animation, SVOD residuals improvements, a Success Bonus, new AVOD terms.
  • Increased clip use payments. 
  • Payment due date moved up to 5 business days.
  • Substantial artificial intelligence protections and gains for voice actors from the Television Animation Agreement, that will automatically conform to any updated provisions secured in upcoming negotiations on that contract. These A.I. protections include:
    • Specific language acknowledging that the term “voice actors” includes only humans and that acknowledges the importance of human voice acting.
    • Removal of the requirement that a digital replica must exclusively sound like the recognizable natural voice of an actor in order to be protected. 
    • Language specifying that “employment-based digital replicas” need only be recognized and identifiable via contracts and other regular business documents, confirming that it was in fact the performer’s voice used to make the replica.  
    • Language specifying that “independently created digital replicas” need only sound like the “character voice” from which the replica was created. 
    • Confirmation that if the voice actor’s performance is digitally altered into a foreign language, the voice actor shall be eligible for residuals based on the distribution of the foreign language version.
    • Language clarifying that when prompting a generative artificial intelligence system with a performer name or names, consent of those performers is required. The contract has removed the requirement, which exists in live action, that a “major facial feature” be included in the prompt with no substitute for that criterion.
    • The establishment of regular, mandatory artificial intelligence meetings with producers, which will include discussion of methods and systems to track the use of digital replicas.

The 2025 SAG-AFTRA/Nickelodeon Animation Studios, Inc. Basic Cable Television Animation Agreement is a three-year contract that will be considered for ratification by SAG-AFTRA’s National Board. 

Abrams Books Employees Announce Vote to Unionize

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Abrams UAW Local 2110

Unionization in the “geek space” was a big thing for a bit and then just seemed to peter out. But, employees at Abrams Books are looking to be the latest. On Monday, the United Auto Workers, Local 2110 petitioned the National Labor Relations Board to allow Abrams’ employees to vote on whether to unionize. Editors, publicists, marketers, production managers, designers, managing editors, sales, distribution, mailroom, IT, and finance staffers would be eligible to vote.

Wages are at the center for the want to unionize. Entry-level salaries for employees at the Big Five publishing houses are about $50,000 a year, Entry-level salaries at Abrams remain at $40,000. That, as well as a lack of job security and the need for greater transparency are reasons for the unionization attempt.

Sarah Robbins, an associate editor for five years said:

The work we do at the company is essential. Without our labor, Abrams couldn’t publish any books. We want to be heard and treated with respect, which includes fair wages and better job protections.

Abrams is aware of the UAW’s request to the NLRB but has not released a comment.

Abrams, founded in 1949, publishes art books, graphic novels, comics, and children’s books. It’s the home of the wildly successful Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series.

UAW Local 2110 also represents employees at HarperCollins, the New Press, and the Asian American Writers Workshop.

(via Publisher’s Weekly)

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