Posts tagged SAG-AFTRA
Workers at Bethesda parent company strike over remote work policies
November 14, 2024 // The Communications Workers of America (CWA), the organizing committee that supports ZeniMax Workers United along with multiple video game unions in the US, has also filed an unfair labor complaint with the National Labor Relations Board over contracting out work without notifying the union. There have been several video game-related strikes in the US in recent year. In 2021, workers at Raven Software — a subsidiary of Activision Blizzard before its eventual acquisition by Microsoft — participated in a walkout that turned into a five-week strike after several employee contracts were not renewed. After that strike, workers at Raven Software organized and won one of the first video game unions at a AAA game publisher in the country.
The next president may face a ‘January Surprise’: Port strikes
October 31, 2024 // Pay isn’t the issue. There’s a whopping 62 percent pay increase for the ILA already on the table. The issue is that the union wants no further automation of the ports. That’s not reasonable. US ports are already far behind the international standard for automation. CEI has proposed a way to avoid these potential crises in the future: put the ports under the authority of the Railway Labor Act (RLA), as opposed to the National Labor Relations Act’s (NLRA), the law that currently covers them. The RLA gives the president and Congress the power to step in and force a contract. That type of intervention isn’t ideal, but the threat of it will likely force both the union and management to reach a deal quicker. Congress would have to amend the RLA to make that happen and it isn’t likely to get around to it in time to prevent another walkout by the ILA before January.
How AI Is Impacting Labor Relations—and Why Employers Need to Pay Attention
October 25, 2024 // One key takeaway from the DOL guidelines is the importance of worker involvement. In unionized workplaces, rolling out AI without worker input is risky. Unions are already pushing back, trying to ensure that AI doesn’t replace jobs or erode working conditions. Employers should expect collective bargaining proposals that set clear parameters around AI usage, from performance monitoring to task automation. Industries like entertainment are leading the charge, with unions such as SAG-AFTRA and the WGA negotiating limits on AI-generated scripts and digital replicas. At ports, the International Longshoremen’s Association is resisting fully automated systems. These are clear signs that AI’s impact on labor is at the top of many unions’ minds.
OPINION: For Workers, Strikes Offer High Risk, Low Reward
September 30, 2024 // The only way to avoid union retaliation is cancelling membership entirely. Beyond the rank-and-file, consequences of union strikes impact consumers, too. Last year, the healthcare industry, for example, saw the largest work stoppage in United States history as 75,000 hospital employees across five states plus Washington, D.C. walked off the job
SAG-AFTRA Launches Bid to Organize Intimacy Coordinators
September 27, 2024 // On Wednesday, the performers union said it had filed a petition for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board. SAG-AFTRA is seeking to bargain nationally on behalf of intimacy coordinators employed by Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers member companies, the entertainment industry’s top studios and streamers.
A+E Factual Studios staff is the latest to unionize
September 25, 2024 // The WGA says the A+E drive is their most significant to date in unscripted television. (Frankel’s union is seeking representation under SAG-AFTRA, the actors guild.) The workers are currently seeking to secure improvements to salary, healthcare, paid time off, and minimum time to rest in between shifts.
Op-Ed: Painting the Targets
September 24, 2024 // I next went looking for data about union density—the percentage of employees in an industry who are union members—in New York and California. For New York City, Hofstra University’s Center for the Study of Labor and Democracy put together this report showing industries that have seen declines in union membership. About half of the industries line up with those listed on the independent-contractor complaint form:
Walz Twists Some Labor Claims
August 19, 2024 // Delivering remarks at a labor union conference in California, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz stretched the facts with several labor-related claims.
Hollywood union strikes deal for advertisers to replicate actors’ voices with AI
August 19, 2024 // Video game voice actors and motion-capture performers called a strike last month over failed labor contract negotiations focused on AI-related protections for workers. Legislation called the NO FAKES Act has been introduced in Congress and would give every person a right to their own voice and likeness, making AI copying without permission illegal. SAG-AFTRA, the Motion Picture Association, The Recording Academy and Disney (DIS.N), opens new tab support the bill. Proliferation of so-called deepfakes, which are highly realistic videos generated by AI trained on actual voices and images, and their role in manipulating public opinion have also raised alarm worldwide.
Writer Earnings Fell $600 Million Due to Strike and Industry Contraction, WGA Says
July 30, 2024 // TV and film writer earnings fell $603 million last year, or about 32%, as the end of “Peak TV” coincided with a 148-day strike by the Writers of Guild of America. Writer earnings, reported for dues purposes, dropped to $1.29 billion in 2023. Adjusted for inflation, that is the lowest level since the writers strike in 2007-08.