‘Saturday Night Live’ VFX Workers Ratify First Union Contract

Visual Effects workers at Saturday Night Live have unanimously ratified their first union contract. All fifteen eligible workers voted yes, securing representation under the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE).

After organizing in October 2024, negotiations began in April 2025 but faced delays until workers escalated their push. Wearing union shirts and signing a petition, the team pressed management to accelerate discussions. Their efforts paid off when the deal was reached in May, before the show’s historic 50th season finale.

The new agreement includes minimum wage scales, healthcare benefits, annuity contributions, kill fees for canceled projects, a grievance process, and protections against AI displacement and outsourcing.

“The VFX team is proud to be officially part of IATSE,” said lead organizer Hannah S. Kim. “We are excited to join the large union presence at SNL and hope this inspires the rest of the VFX and animation industries across the country to follow suit. I personally am so happy to see my fellow artists be protected under a union, and look forward to the future of this team under a bargaining unit.”

David Torres Eber highlighted the speed of the achievement: “Thanks to the hard work of all the members of the SNL VFX team and our new friends with IATSE, we have accomplished something pretty incredible. At a breakneck speed, we have ratified our first union contract for a VFX team in New York City. Hopefully just the first of many!”

Danny Behar noted the timing: “Having a contract is a huge feat, especially during these unsteady times in the television industry. We’re excited to continue our work and inspire other VFX teams to organize.”

Richard Lampasone added, “This is a groundbreaking contract for us and our industry. We’ve reached a consensus on a worker-centric AI policy that will help us keep doing our best work as our craft evolves.”

VFX workers have made significant strides towards unionization with IATSE in recent months, including successfully winning first contracts at Marvel, Disney, and Avatar.