Members of film and TV performers union, Equity, have voted ‘Yes’ by a landslide 99% to refuse to be digitally scanned on set in order to secure artificial intelligence protections.
Equity is currently negotiating the agreements it holds with producers’ trade body, Pact, to set minimum standards for pay, terms and conditions for performers working in the sector.
The ballot turnout was 75%, with eligible voters made up of Equity’s membership working in film and TV – 7,746 actors, stunt performers, and dancers who have worked on a Pact-Equity agreement since they were last negotiated in 2021. It is the first time this whole section of the union’s membership has ever been balloted.
As it is an indicative ballot, it is not binding and does not legally cover Equity members to take industrial action – for that, a statutory ballot is needed.
Equity will now write to Pact with the results and “demand they come back to the negotiating table with a better deal on AI. If Pact refuse to enshrine the AI protections the union is seeking in the agreements, Equity will hold a statutory ballot for industrial action.”
Equity’s General Secretary, Paul W Fleming, said: “Artificial intelligence is a generation-defining challenge. And for the first time in a generation, Equity’s film and TV members have shown that they are willing to take industrial action.
“90% of TV and film is made on these agreements. Over three quarters of artists working on them are union members. This shows that the workforce is willing to significantly disrupt production unless they are respected, and decades of erosion in terms and conditions begins to be reversed.
“The US streamers and PACT need to step away from the brink, and respect this show of strength. We need adequate AI protections which build on, not merely replicate, those agreed after the SAG-AFTRA strike in the USA over two years ago.
“The union believes this can be resolved through negotiation, but 18 months of talks have led us to this stalemate. With fresh AI proposals, significant movement on royalties, and a package of modern terms and conditions, PACT and allied producers can turn this around. The ball is in their court when we return to the table in January.”
In response to the ballot, Adrian Wootton OBE, Chief Executive of the British Film Commission, said: “Today’s ballot results remain indicative, and we will be working with all parties to reach a fair, reasonable solution to this very complex issue as soon as possible.
“All are committed to developing fair, effective guardrails and provisions for the use of AI in film & TV, and it is in everyone’s interests to exhaust all of the available options for negotiation. To that end, the British Film Commission will be liaising with Pact and Equity, with the aim of supporting an agreement satisfactory to all parties.”
Jon Creamer
Share this story
