The Animation Guild, a labor union representing the animation industry, is now looking to unionize production workers at the Walt Disney Animation Studios, something that the iconic studio is resisting according to The Hollywood Reporter.
What’s Happening:
- The Animation Guild is seeking to organize and unionize nearly 80 production coordinators, production managers, and production supervisors at the Walt Disney Animation Studios, though Disney is looking to disqualify certain job titles from their efforts.
- IATSE Local 389, revealed earlier today, March 8th, 2023, that they are attempting to form a unit at the Walt Disney Animation Studios, but have shared that the studio is denying their request to voluntarily organize in favor of a National Labor Board Election.
- Additionally, the union has shared that the studio is attempting to exclude production supervisors and production managers from the group that could participate in a vote, arguing that they are “statutory supervisors,” meaning that they are excluded from the law that grants people the right to organize a union.
- The Animation Guild filed for the National Labor Relations Board election a few days ago, calling for Walt Disney Animation Studios to “do the right thing and voluntarily recognize IATSE Local 389, The Animation Guild as the exclusive representative” for the group.
- Talks of unionizing this group of workers date back nearly a year, all building up to the voluntary recognition effort., attempting to unionize to improve pay and gain portable health care that will travel from job to job.
- The Animation Guild already represents production workers, managers, and supervisors at 20th Television Animation (owned by The Walt Disney Company) , as well as Nickelodeon, and other studios like ShadowMachine, Titmouse New York and Titmouse LA.
- If the organization is successful at Walt Disney Animation Studios, it will be the first feature studio where they have organized production workers.
- A hearing with the National Labor Relations Board is set for later this month.
What They’re Saying:
- Production Coordinator Maggie Hughes: “For the majority of us this is our long-term career path; however, the current value tied to production workers does not reflect our worth. We produce and deliver some of the most profitable franchises at one of the oldest animation studios in the world, it’s unreasonable that production workers can’t create a sustainable, comfortable future.”
- Production Coordinator Shannon Henley: “Even though I love my job, I regularly must consider if I should instead find a job with better pay, better hours, better benefits, and a more viable career path forward. Joining TAG gives me hope that I’ll no longer have to consider leaving my dream job in order to live comfortably.”
- IATSE international president Matthew Loeb: “Disney already employs IATSE members as department heads and similar job titles across their business. This is a blatant attempt to undermine the collective bargaining rights of our members and to drive down standards for all workers in our industry. We’re not leaving anyone behind. We’ll see you at the NLRB.”