Walt Disney Animation Studios Production Workers, Artists Hold Solidarity March As Studio Refuses To Recognize Bargaining Unit
It’s been four weeks since a supermajority of production workers at WDAS voted to unionize.
It’s been four weeks since a supermajority of production workers at WDAS voted to unionize.
After Disney refused recognition, IATSE, on behalf of The Animation Guild, filed a petition for a National Labor Relations Board vote.
Nickelodeon Animation Studios’ production workers now represent the largest bargaining unit of production workers to organize under TAG.
According to The Animation Guild, Nickelodeon’s lawyers are pushing to divide workers based on job title to unnecessarily prolong the unionization process.
Three of five TAG officers won re-election, including Steve Kaplan, Jeanette Moreno King, and Paula Spence.
Animation and live-action director Clay Kaytis believes it’s time for all directors to be covered by the Directors Guild of America.
A bargaining unit of 100 production workers have joined animation workers and writers at the studio who were already covered by TAG.
The workers are the second N.Y.-based group to do so, after Titmouse workers voted to unionize in January of this year.
The workers filed to join The Animation Guild in May, and have now won voluntary recognition from Disney’s 20th Television Animation.
20th Television Animation chose not to voluntarily recognize the unit, so the workers are filing petitions for union elections with the NLRB.