The Animation Guild (TAG)—Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 839—is celebrating multiple powerful
organizing wins this week as three new different groups of animation workers have formally announced their efforts to join the union.
Production workers at Netflix Animation Studios and the television series “Ted” submitted official voluntary recognition requests. And animation artists at SpindleHorse requested and secured voluntary recognition on Tuesday. This wave of organizing represents a powerful new era for the animation industry, for both major productions and at independent studios.
“Production workers in animation deserve the same protections as artists—we deserve to fight for sustainable careers,” says Ana Tessier, a production coordinator at Netflix. “I’m so thrilled that now we’ll have a seat at the negotiating table. I’m equally inspired by organizing efforts at other studios—the more studios start to unionize, the more we can create a stable future for the animation industry at large.”
“SpindleHorse is leading the charge in the indie animation industry by pushing for stability for its passionate and highly creative team. We look forward to working with SpindleHorse to overcome boundaries and show what dedicated artists can achieve in the indie scene!” says Melanie An, who works in cleanup and rendering.
AFL-CIO Daily Brief