Disney Animation Production Management Workers Ratify First Union Contract

Production management workers at Walt Disney Animation Studios have ratified their first labor contract in a vote conducted by The Animation Guild (IATSE Local 839) more than two years after first announcing their intent to unionize.

93% of production supervisors, managers and coordinators at the more-than-century-old animation studio voted in favor of ratification, with 96% of eligible workers voting. Through the new bargaining agreement, production management workers at Disney will now receive pension, health benefits, and other union perks received by their fellow animators at the studio via a sideletter to the existing WDAS labor contract.

The Animation Guild’s bargaining unit also negotiated a a 24% wage increase for Production Managers, a 29% increase for Production Supervisors, and a 35% increase for Production Coordinators—the lowest-paid workers in the unit. 

“During this downturn in entertainment production, production management workers at one of the most powerful corporations in the world stood up and demanded more. Their daily fight for fair treatment and pay is often outside the public eye,” says TAG Organizer Allison Smartt. “They’ve been signing petitions, marching to deliver signatures, staging courageous silent protests in front of executives, and regularly engaging in the fight for their fair share for years, setting an inspiring example. They’ve won a historic contract that will have positive impacts long into the future and throughout the animation industry and I know they aren’t done yet.” 

In recent years, the Animation Guild has engaged in an organizing campaign to bring production management workers into the union, with Disney’s workers becoming the first of their kind to successfully join TAG. The campaign was not without obstacles, as Disney opted for a hearing with the National Labor Relations Board after the workers first announced their intent to organize.

Disney argued that production management workers served managerial roles on animation productions and therefore were not eligible to unionize with TAG. The NLRB ruled in favor of the workers in September 2023, and contract negotiations began in April 2024 with a deal reached last month.

The Animation Guild’s campaign now turns to DreamWorks Animation, where a bargaining unit representing production workers there is currently in contract negotiations.

“In Hollywood, we love an underdog story. Our ratification was just that—the underrepresented and underpaid coming together and demanding better pay and equity with our artistic counterparts. In the end, we were heard and seen, and we have a pathway to further improving the conditions in which production management works,” said Disney Production Supervisor Nicholas Ellingsworth. “We know our colleagues at DreamWorks Animation are in the middle of their negotiations, and we’re wishing them all the luck, patience, and perseverance in their conversations. Production management is no stranger to strategizing to achieve their goals and navigating unexpected obstacles. There is no doubt they’ll
come out on top.”

The post Disney Animation Production Management Workers Ratify First Union Contract appeared first on TheWrap.