New deal includes retroactive wage increases, gains for animation writers, and the addition of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as a covered holiday.
The Animation Guild (TAG), IATSE Local 839, has just reached an agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), coming after almost one month of negotiation spread between November 2021 to May 2022.
Some TAG gains include improved New Media conditions, retroactive wage increases, significant gains for animation writers, the addition of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as a covered holiday, the establishment of a Labor-Management Cooperative Committee to address studio specific issues, and paving a path forward for Union-covered remote work.
“I am incredibly proud of The Animation Guild members who volunteered their time and energy to the Negotiations Committee,” says Business Representative Steve Kaplan. “The proposals we brought to the employers focused on making the work lives of our members better, and we have made significant progress towards achieving those goals. A #NewDeal4Animation does not stop today, we will continue to fight for the rights and benefits our members deserve, as well as ensuring all animation workers across the U.S. can use their collective voice to make similar change,”
The Animation Guild membership will vote on ratifying the new agreement toward the end of June 2022.
The negotiations history included:
- Nov. 29, 2021: Negotiations commenced with TAG addressing wage increases, new media disparities, and other top priorities. An agreement was not reached within the five days allotted for bargaining.
- Feb. 14, 2022: TAG and the AMPTP returned to the bargaining table. Progress was made, but not enough to reach an agreement.
- Feb. 28, 2022: TAG entered a third round of negotiations with the AMPTP. Progress continued to be made, but TAG’s top member priorities had not been met in a meaningful way.
- Feb. 28 through May 26, 2022: The Animation Guild’s Negotiations Committee and the AMPTP continued to trade responses in an effort to reach agreement.
- May 27, 2022: TAG announces the Union and the AMPTP have reached a tentative agreement.
Source: The Animation Guild
Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.
