IATSE and The Animation Guild (IATSE Local 839) announced Wednesday that the National Labor Relations Board has issued election direction allowing Walt Disney Animation Studios production workers to vote on whether to join the IATSE.
According to the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, the decision means that full-time and project-based production coordinators, production supervisors and production managers will be eligible to unionize through the election process. Workers are looking for benefits like better wages and portable health care that moves with them from job to job.
Last March, TAG revealed for the first time that the union was attempting to form a bargaining unit consisting of approximately 78 such unionized workers. Encanto And Wish studio. At the time, it said Disney had rejected its request to voluntarily recognize the group of workers and sought to exclude production supervisors and production managers from the group that could participate in an NRLB vote, arguing that they work as managers.
In today’s news, several employees released statements, including production coordinator Maggie Hughes, who said: “This victory illustrates the heart of why we are unionizing. We knew throughout this process that everyone in our unit deserves to be considered, but the company still decided to continue this long and arduous process in an effort to divide us.”
The Hollywood Reporter has contacted Disney Animation for comment.
Absent a federal government shutdown next week, the election will take place from October 10 to 31, with votes expected to be counted on November 1.
According to the union, TAG already represents production supervisors and production managers on projects, among other things Family Guy, The Simpsons, American Dad! And Solar opposites (produced at 20th Television Animation, owned by Disney), as well as Nickelodeon, ShadowMachine, Titmouse New York and Titmouse Los Angeles.
