2K Motion Capture Studio Workers File for Union Election

Staff members at the Petaluma, California-based company responsible for multiple Take-Two Interactive game franchise productions file with the NLRB, seeking to address core issues including pay equity and work conditions.

Petaluma-based 2K Motion Capture Studio workers (2K Mocap) filed for a union election to be overseen by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the union (IATSE) announced Wednesday. 21 full-time studio staff members who are responsible for a range of motion-capture productions for Take-Two Interactive requested voluntary recognition of their union. Management declined to respond, resulting in workers filing for an official election supervised by the Federal Government.

IATSE noted that this is the first public union campaign at a motion-capture studio in the video game industry.

"The opportunity to work at 2K Mocap has truly been a dream come true for my coworkers and me,” said stage technician Connor Bredbeck. “It is our love for the work we do that has not only allowed us to organize but is also the reason we are organizing in the first place. The inequities we are experiencing are endemic to the gaming industry and detract from the work we are all so passionate about. The decision to form a union was a necessary step for our studio and hopefully for others as well.”

The studio contributes to the production of motion-capture for 2K and Take-Two Interactive titles such as NBA 2K, TopSpin 2K, WWE 2K, XCOM, Bioshock, and Mafia franchises.

Workers seek to address core issues related to compensation and working conditions. The unit’s priorities include job security, pay equity that reflects industry standards, wage minimums for new hires, and a clearer definition of job responsibilities. According to IATSE, workers claim that despite recent investments in facility upgrades wages remain below par.

The filing covers the following job titles and designations: Jr. Motion Capture Tools Engineer; Junior Motion Capture Stage Technician; Mocap Technical Animator; Motion Capture Animator; Motion Capture Artist II; Motion Capture Audio Recording Specialist; Motion Capture Audio Specialist; Motion Capture Lead Solver; Motion Capture Master Carpenter; Motion Capture Scenic Fabricator; Motion Capture Stage Technician; Motion Capture Tools Engineer; Senior Mocap AD; Sr. Motion Capture Tools Engineer; Sr. Virtual Production Tech; Mocap; Stage Technician; and Stage Technician I.

“These dedicated individuals are essential to the success of the world-class video games their labor helps create, and their contributions and technical skills overlap significantly with crafts IATSE already represents,” said IATSE international vice president Michael F. Miller. “IATSE stands firmly with the 2K Mocap workers and video game workers in general in their pursuit of the same rights and protections union members have around the entertainment industry. We look forward to the election and eventually good faith negotiations with Take-Two Interactive to honor their workers' voices and engage in good faith negotiations.”

Source: IATSE

Debbie Diamond Sarto's picture

Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.