The video game strike just destroyed itself

Summary

The SAG-AFTRA union faces backlash from its members and the public over AI regulations in the gaming industry. The union is accused of not protecting voice actors adequately and of making disparaging comments about non-union talent. National Executive Director Duncan Crabtree's controversial statements and a video apology have fueled the controversy, with financial information suggesting corruption among union executives. The situation raises questions about the union's commitment to its members and its role in the evolving landscape of voice acting.

Takeaways

• 📢 The SAG-AFTRA union is facing a strike from its members over AI regulations, with concerns about insufficient protection for voice actors.
• 🔍 Seven months prior, the union faced backlash for signing a deal regarding AI voice use without members' awareness, causing dissatisfaction among its own members.
• 💬 National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator, Duncan Crabtree, made disparaging comments about non-union voice actors, which led to significant backlash.
• 🚫 The SAG-AFTRA union's official Twitter account had to delete a tweet containing Duncan's comments after community outrage.
• 🗣️ Duncan Crabtree issued an apology, but some critics argue it was insincere and more of a damage control measure for both himself and the union.
• 💰 There are allegations of corruption within the union, with financial information suggesting high earnings for executives like Duncan Crabtree.
• 📈 Duncan Crabtree's annual earnings as a union executive have reportedly increased significantly, raising questions about the union's priorities.
• 🤝 Duncan's response attempts to emphasize respect for all performers and an invitation for non-union members to join SAG-AFTRA.
• 📉 Public reception to Duncan's apology was largely negative, with many questioning the sincerity of his statement and the union's actions.
• 👥 The situation has highlighted divisions within the acting community and raised concerns about the union's representation of its members.
• 🔑 The controversy points to broader issues of union representation, member satisfaction, and the impact of AI on the voice acting industry.

Q & A

What is the current situation involving the SAG-AFTRA Union and video game companies?

The SAG-AFTRA Union and its members are striking against various video game companies over AI regulations, claiming that their members are not adequately protected against the use of AI in the industry.

Why did the SAG-AFTRA Union receive backlash from its own members seven months ago?

The Union faced backlash for signing a deal regarding the use of AI voices without the knowledge of many of its members, leading to dissatisfaction with both the process and the deal itself.

What was the controversy surrounding Duncan Crabtree Ireland's comments?

Duncan Crabtree Ireland, the national executive director and chief negotiator for SAG-AFTRA, made disparaging comments towards non-union voice actors, suggesting their work was of lesser quality, which led to significant backlash.

How did the SAG-AFTRA Union respond to the backlash over Duncan Crabtree Ireland's comments?

The Union and Duncan Crabtree Ireland deleted the controversial tweet and issued an apology, acknowledging the respect due to all performers, including non-union members.

What was the community's reaction to the deleted tweet by SAG-AFTRA Union?

The community added a note to the deleted tweet, emphasizing that non-union members' work is not of lesser quality and criticizing the Union's executive for suggesting otherwise.

What was the context of Duncan Crabtree Ireland's apology video?

Duncan Crabtree Ireland's apology video was a response to the backlash over his previous comments, in which he clarified his respect for all performers and acknowledged the hard work of performers in the industry.

How has the SAG-AFTRA Union been perceived in light of the recent events?

The Union has been perceived negatively, with some suggesting that its actions and statements are causing division and not supporting the interests of all voice actors.

What are the financial implications for the SAG-AFTRA Union executives mentioned in the script?

There are allegations of corruption within the Union, with financial information suggesting that executives, including Duncan Crabtree Ireland, have seen significant increases in their annual salaries.

What is the public reception to Duncan Crabtree Ireland's apology?

The public reception to Duncan's apology has been largely negative, with many questioning the sincerity of his statements and his previous disparaging remarks.

How does the script suggest the Union's actions may impact the voice acting industry?

The script suggests that the Union's actions may be facilitating arguments against joining the Union and could potentially harm the voice acting industry by creating division and mistrust.

What is the role of AI in the current dispute between the SAG-AFTRA Union and video game companies?

AI is central to the dispute as the Union's members are concerned about the lack of protection against the use of AI in voice acting, fearing it could lead to job losses and a degradation of work quality.

Outlines

00:00

🎮 Union Dispute Over AI in Video Game Industry

The script discusses the ongoing strike by the SAG-AFTRA union against video game companies, citing concerns about AI regulations and the protection of voice actors. It delves into the controversy that arose seven months prior when the union faced backlash from its members for signing a deal regarding AI voice usage without their knowledge. The situation has worsened with the union and its executive director, Duncan Crabtree Ireland, facing criticism for official statements and alleged corruption. The narrative highlights Crabtree's controversial comments about non-union voice actors and the community's response, leading to an apology and a discussion about the importance of union protections in the industry.

05:02

🗣️ Public Apology and Backlash Over Union Statements

This paragraph focuses on the public apology issued by Duncan Crabtree, the national executive director and chief negotiator for SAG-AFTRA, following his disparaging remarks about non-union voice actors. The initial statement, which implied that non-union actors were of lesser quality, sparked widespread backlash, leading to the deletion of the tweet and Crabtree's personal apology. The summary examines the public's skepticism towards the sincerity of the apology, the financial incentives for union executives, and the community's reaction to the situation. It also touches on the irony of the union advocating for its members while the executives enjoy substantial financial gains, questioning the motives behind the union's actions and Crabtree's personal stance on non-union talent.

Keywords

💡SAG-AFTRA

SAG-AFTRA is a labor union representing actors, voice actors, and other media professionals in the United States. In the video, it is at the center of controversy due to its stance on AI regulations and the strike against video game companies. The union's actions and statements have led to internal backlash from its members and public scrutiny.

💡Union Strike

A union strike is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to perform their job duties, typically to protest unfair labor practices or to negotiate better working conditions. In this context, the strike by SAG-AFTRA members is against video game companies over concerns about AI regulations and the protection of voice actors.

💡AI Regulations

AI regulations refer to the rules and policies governing the use of artificial intelligence technologies. In the video, the SAG-AFTRA union and its members are striking against video game companies because they believe the current AI regulations do not sufficiently protect voice actors from being replaced by AI.

💡Backlash

Backlash is a strong negative reaction to an event or statement. The video discusses the backlash SAG-AFTRA received from its own members for signing a deal regarding AI voices without their knowledge and for the controversial statements made by Duncan Crabtree, Ireland.

💡Duncan Crabtree, Ireland

Duncan Crabtree, Ireland is the National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator for SAG-AFTRA. He becomes a focal point in the video due to his disparaging comments about non-union voice actors, which led to significant backlash and an apology.

💡Non-Union Voice Actors

Non-union voice actors are professionals in the voice acting industry who are not members of a labor union like SAG-AFTRA. The video highlights a controversy where Duncan Crabtree, Ireland made comments that were perceived as demeaning to these actors, suggesting their work is of lesser quality.

💡Dispute

A dispute is a disagreement or conflict, often over rights or interests. The video describes a dispute between SAG-AFTRA and its members, as well as with non-union voice actors, regarding the union's actions and statements about AI and union membership.

💡Financial Information

Financial information refers to data related to the income, expenses, and financial health of an organization or individual. In the video, it is mentioned that financial information about SAG-AFTRA executives, including Duncan Crabtree, Ireland, has raised questions about corruption and high salaries, which has added to the controversy.

💡Corruption

Corruption is the abuse of power for personal gain, often involving dishonest practices. The video suggests that there may be corruption within SAG-AFTRA's executive ranks, as evidenced by the significant increase in salaries for executives like Duncan Crabtree, Ireland, which some view as inappropriate given the union's actions.

💡Community Note

A community note is a public message or comment added to a social media post, often to express criticism or support. In the video, a community note was added to the now-deleted tweet by SAG-AFTRA, which criticized Duncan Crabtree, Ireland's comments and highlighted the perceived discrepancy between his statements and the union's actions.

💡Apology

An apology is a formal expression of regret or remorse for a mistake or wrongdoing. Duncan Crabtree, Ireland issued an apology in response to the backlash over his comments, but the video suggests that his apology was not well-received, as it lacked a direct expression of remorse and was seen as insincere.

Highlights

SAG-AFTRA Union and its members are striking against video game companies over AI regulations, claiming insufficient protection for voice actors.

Seven months ago, the union faced backlash for signing a deal on AI voice use without members' awareness, leading to dissatisfaction with the deal's terms.

The union's actions have been perceived as detrimental to voice actors, with claims of corruption among executives.

Duncan Crabtree Ireland, National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator for SAG-AFTRA, made disparaging comments about non-union voice actors in a video.

The union and Duncan faced severe backlash, leading to the deletion of the tweet and an issued apology.

Duncan's comments suggested that non-union voice actors perform at a lesser quality, sparking controversy.

Union members have expressed unhappiness with SAG-AFTRA due to failed negotiations, questioning the union's advocacy.

Duncan allegedly advocated for union voice actors to gatekeep work from non-union actors, raising ethical concerns.

Previous instances of SAG-AFTRA disparaging non-union workers were highlighted, including an ad from years ago.

A community note was added to the deleted tweet, emphasizing that non-union membership does not equate to lesser work quality.

Duncan's response on August 17th attempted to clarify his comments, expressing respect for all performers.

Duncan's video received mixed reactions, with many questioning the sincerity of his apology.

Financial information suggests a significant increase in Duncan's annual salary, raising questions about union executives' motives.

Public reception to Duncan's response was largely negative, with some questioning the absence of a direct apology.

A few positive responses acknowledged the attempt to address criticism but noted the lack of the word 'sorry' in Duncan's video.

The situation reflects poorly on both Duncan and the SAG-AFTRA Union, with ongoing discussions about the implications for voice actors.

Transcripts

so as you probably know and as I've been

covering here on the channel there's

recently been this entire situation

regarding the SAG after Union with the

union and its members striking against

various video game companies over AI

regulations essentially saying that

their members are not protected enough

against the use of AI now before we

continue on with the current news let's

actually backtrack about seven months

ago because 7 months ago sag aftera the

union was getting a ton of backlash from

their own members over apparently

signing a deal regarding the use of AI

voices a deal that many of their own

members claimed they had no idea was

even happening on top of that they also

weren't happy about the deal itself the

entire situation making it look like the

union really wasn't doing the voice

actors any good and if anything was

actually doing the inverse by making

things worse for them and yet somehow

things are now falling apart even more

for the Union as well as their voice

actors because as mentioned we have a

new situation going on with sag aftera

including backlash over official

statements made by the union and not

just that but Financial information has

come out that can also arguably be

showing quite a bit of corruption over

with the executives at the top so

there's this guy named Duncan Crabtree

Ireland who is apparently a national

executive director and chief negotiator

for sag aftera and the official Twitter

account for sag aftera recently tweeted

out a video that included Duncan making

disparaging comments towards non-union

voice actors the Union as well as Duncan

caught so much backlash over this that

not only did they get community noted

but they ended up deleting the entire

tweet and Duncan issuing an apology of

sorts however of course on the internet

I was still able to find that video so

let's roll it back from the beginning

you'll be able to see it for yourself I

think one of the things that sometimes

gets overlooked and it's so important

here is the alternative which is saying

our members are going to withhold

services from these areas um does also

mean that our members aren't working in

those areas and so to have the ability

to have these Protections in place but

to also if a member wants to really be

active in this space and help make sure

this space is not dominated by you know

non-union performances um frankly

probably of lesser quality but

nonetheless you know that that is that

would be a loss of opportunities for our

members obviously crucial and they're

crucial that we have them in every work

area and across every contract so

calling non-union voice actors voice

actors of lesser quality what a

pretentious and rude thing to say

although there's many words that could

describe that so essentially just fill

in the blank and there's many voice

actors and people in general depending

on what profession we're talking about

that would simply prefer to not join a

union that doesn't make them lesser

people or lesser workers or however uh

Duncan wants to phrase it and

furthermore we've seen how many union

members are unhappy with sag Afra due to

their ineptitude in recent negotiations

and it's ironic how sag after is

basically facilitating arguments against

joining them entirely through their own

actions on top of all that though did

you also catch how Duncan was

essentially trying to advocate for or

Union voice actors to help gatekeep work

away from non-union voice actors are

these people really that desperate by

the way apparently not the first time

that sag aftera disparaged non-union

workers this image allegedly from an ad

that sag aftera took out years ago

insults workers who are not a part of

the union and goes on to Advocate only

hiring Union actors now back to this

current situation with the strike

against gaming companies and the

statements made by Duncan so here's the

official tweet by sag Afra the one that

included dun video and the one that

ended up getting deleted however before

it was deleted there was also this

community not added to it which I figure

I'll read for you right now it says

there's no specific skill requirement

for joining sag aftera as such being a

non-union member doesn't mean your work

is of lesser quality than that of the

members as Duncan who is a business

executive with zero history of being a

performer himself has suggested here so

they got a ton of backlash for the

statements that Duncan made ending up

getting that note and ultimately

deleting the Tweet stuff that you

already know but with that context we'll

move on to Duncan's response on August

17th he issued this tweet on his own

personal account that has quite a

different tone to it saying all

performers deserve respect it's an

incredibly hard profession to pursue and

the Risk Takers who create deserve to be

acknowledged all of them including a 1

minute and 22 second long video oh and

by the way the Tweet getting almost

250,000 views but only 37 likes anyways

here's the video hey everybody Duncan

here I'm super proud of the incredible

work of our members and our staff on the

video game strike and about the new

narrative deal we announced a few days

ago which is not only groundbreaking and

its AI protections but also provides our

members with safe access to work in this

new Arena I made a comment on our

podcast last week about the expansion of

the narrative platform to Union Talent

which was intended to applaud the

quality and expertise that sag after

members would now bring to the platform

that comment didn't come out the way I

intended so so let me be very very clear

I fully respect the talent and Artistry

of all performers including those who

are not yet sag after members or who for

whatever reason have chosen not to join

as someone who has actors in my

immediate family I know how hard it is

to make a career as a performer and I

have the deepest respect for everyone

who takes up that challenge I want to

make sure that all those actors know

that their talents are appreciated both

by me personally and by sag aftera and I

hope that those of you pursuing a career

as performers will become members of sag

after if you aren't already and stand

together with all of us to fight against

the abusive use of artificial

intelligence and for the fair treatment

and AI protections that all performers

deserve see you on the pickup lines of

course form your own opinion on this

entire situation that statement you know

the whole thing in my opinion though I

don't think this guy's being sincere in

this new statement it sounds like he was

sincere in what he said in the prior

statement and now this is some sort of

damage control both for himself and for

sagaa and maybe it's just me maybe I'm

being a little silly now or something

but it almost sounds like the guy's in

pain when he's talking about people who

aren't Union like there's some just

disgust from him or something I'm

talking about this few seconds of the

clip right here I fully respect the

talent and Artistry of all performers

including those who are not yet sag

after members or who for whatever reason

have chosen not to join perhaps dun is

so desperate to get people to join the

union because it looks like it all comes

down to his monetary gain this

information allegedly shows what dunin

is making annually per year as a union

executive for sag aftera and we can see

for example just taking a look at like

2019 was right under

$400,000 annually and now in 2024 that

figure has shot up to just over a

million doar annually so while these

Union Executives tell their voice actors

not to accept work they're happily

raking in Mill millions of dollars the

entire time now going back to Duncan's

response video let's take a look at some

of the replies that he got some of the

public reception I think your apology is

of how you say of lesser quality I

failed to believe this is the best you

could do at sag after you're complicit

in this too it's not just Duncan speak

up quickly you didn't say I'm sorry once

in this video and why was this not

posted to Sag Afters page for everyone

to see rhetorical I know why you're

creating more division when there should

be solid solidarity between actors a few

more similar comments one reading

genuine question is there a reason why

this isn't on the SAG after Twitter

account and interesting that you're

posting this on your personal page and

not sag's page a quote tweet reading

this just in grown man can't apologize

and sag makes zero statement on their

end after taking down the video LOL most

of the responses seem to be very

negative however for a bit of variety I

did manage to actually track down one

that is arguably more on the positive

side this one reads on on the one hand

I'm glad they issued a response to the

criticism they received and this is a

pretty nice sentiment on the other hand

the word sorry literally doesn't appear

once in this video interestingly enough

that tweet comes from a genjin voice

actor the English dub for Chong Yun

overall this stuff looks like a very bad

look for Duncan and the SAG after Union

let me know what you think about the

entire situation in the comments as

always thanks for tuning in and if you

enjoyed my coverage consider liking and

subscribing appreciate you and I'll see

you in the next one