Disney visual effects artists, in a unanimous vote, join forces with Marvel workers to unionize under the newly formed VFX branch of IATSE.
Summary
- Disney VFX artists have voted to join the newly formed VFX branch of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) union.
- This unionization is part of a larger movement within Hollywood of workers are fighting for fair compensation and better working conditions. IATSE hopes to bring in other studios and vendors to establish union standards for all VFX workers.
- The unionization of Disney VFX workers is a step forward in the ongoing battle for fair pay and protections in Hollywood, as workers across various sectors are standing up for their rights and challenging unjust studio environments.
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Disney’s visual effects artists have voted to unionize, joining Marvel workers. This year, Hollywood has confronted unprecedented industrial changes as workers fight for fair compensation. These changes have been seen most notably in the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, whose concurrence halted productions on movies and TV shows.
Now, Disney VFX artists join with Marvel workers to unionize, as reports Variety. The union is known as the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), which now features a newly formed VFX branch. Of 18 Walt Disney VFX employees who were eligible to vote, 13 voted the join the union, and none opposed. Check out VFX Senior Coordinator Mark Robinson’s statement below:
For so long we’ve wanted the same protections as everyone else, but there was no hope in sight. Winning this election was a long fight, but I’m proud to say it’s been won by each and every VFX worker wanting a brighter, sustainable future.
The VFX Union Is Significant In Hollywood’s History & Current Moment
IATSE’s VFX branch is newly formed, coming together just last month when Marvel workers unanimously voted to join the union. This unionization was a landmark moment in the world of VFX, for it marked the first time in the history of the field (which was born in the 1970s) that VFX workers were unionized. Through this union, Marvel and now Disney VFX workers will be provided, as Robinson put it, “the same protections as everyone else.” This unionizing follows long-standing allegations by VFX works of overworking and mistreatment.
Marvel and Disney workers may be the first VFX workers to join IATSE, but they will hopefully not be the last. IATSE VFX coordinator Mark Patch stated that they “need to bring every studio and vendor in line to bring those union standards to all VFX workers,” thus showing VFX workers’ desire to loop multiple other studios into this union. If successful, IATSE could completely change the working landscape for VFX workers who previously operated under much less stable conditions.
Related: Ant-Man: Quantumania’s VFX Issues Are A Bad Sign For MCU Phase 5 & 6
As indicated by this year’s strikes, this news comes at a time when Hollywood is undergoing a reckoning with their flawed compensation systems. Within these unjust studio environments, Hollywood’s workers – be they actors, writers, or VFX artists – are standing up for their rights, and that is thus far working to move the needle within the industry. By joining IATSE, VFX workers at Disney move in the right direction in the ongoing battle for fair pay and protections.
Source: Variety
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