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Walt Disney Pictures visual effects crews are one step closer to becoming unionized. Disney crews filed with the National Labor Relations Board Monday for a vote to unionize, marking the second visual effects team, after Marvel Studios, to take strides for union representation with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). A supermajority of 18 in-house Disney visual effects workers, or more than 80 percent of members, signed authorization cards with demands for fair compensation for hours worked, adequate health care, and retirement benefits.
“With an overwhelming supermajority of these crews demanding an end to ‘the way VFX has always been, this is a clear sign that our campaign is not about one studio or corporation,” IATSE visual effects organizer Mark Patch wrote in a press release. “It’s about VFX workers across the industry using the tools at our disposal to uplift ourselves and forge a better path forward.”
A rep for Walt Disney Pictures did not immediately respond toRolling Stone‘s request for comment.
Marvel visual effects crews filed with the labor relations board on Aug. 7, hoping to negotiate a contract that includes health benefits, pensions, meal penalties, and overtime compensation. Patch told Rolling Stone earlier this month that as a coordinator on WandaVision he worked 16-hour shifts, missed break periods, and scanned costumes during his lunch time.
“Today, courageous Visual Effects workers at Walt Disney Pictures overcame the fear and silence that have kept our community from having a voice on the job for decades,” Patch wrote.
The Disney crews filing to unionize helped develop the visual effects in the live-action adaptations of Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Pirates of the Caribbean. Since the introduction of visual effects in the first Star Wars films in the 1970s, visual effects members have largely remained non-union. Whereas, IATSE has historically represented production designers, camera operators, hair and makeup artists, costume designers, and other backstage crews in TV and film.
As unionized writers and actors picket for fairer contracts, visual effects professionals across film and TV are asking for the same rights and protections that other unionized workers receive. For Disney crews, a labor board election could take place as early as Sept. 11. To IATSE president Matthew D. Loeb, the push to unionize is a united movement across several industries that are setting a precedent of dignity and fairness.
“The determination of these VFX workers is not just commendable, it’s groundbreaking,” Loeb wrote. “Their collective action against the status quo represents a seismic shift in this critical moment in our industry.”
