The Animation Guild, TAG 839, ramped up negotiations with a second ‘March on the Boss’ to remind animation industry execs that members will stand together to achieve fair wages, job security, and guardrails around Generative AI use.
Hundreds of The Animation Guild (TAG), IATSE Local 839 members gathered outside Glendale's DreamWorks Animation offices on Tuesday to present a petition to executives, signed by more than 58,000 members and public supporters.The petition reminds these bosses that while animation workers kept content production alive during the COVID lockdown, and animation is outperforming live-action on screens and in merchandise sales, they face unprecedented levels of unemployment.
TAG has been in negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) since August.To date, the Guild’s priority issues, such as fair wages, job security, and common-sense guardrails around Generative AI use, are still on the table.Following the delivery of the petition to Netflix last month, this second “March on the Boss” at DreamWorks is part of a series of actions to show employers that TAG members will stand together for as long as it takes to get the contract they deserve.
Before the petition was delivered, character designer Michelle Drennan gave a speech to the crowd, later expounding, “We’re here today because the AMPTP has not responded in a realistic way to our biggest asks.We need to show them that we are not going to back down without the things that we need to make sure our industry survives.We’re facing unprecedented and existential threats, and we are taking it seriously.
There have been numerous news articles where they’re talking about replacing us, and cutting our workforce by huge numbers.We’re not just going to sit back and take it.” “I came out here because I’m personally sick and tired of there not being a sustainable model for us,” animator Ashley McGivern said.“In particular, [animators’ jobs] have been outsourced for the better part of 30 to 40 years, and we’re often underappreciated.
Now this is starting to happen to Storyboard Artists and Layout Artists, and I don’t want to see this industry dissolve.”
Negotiations resume November 18.More information can be found here.
Journalist, antique shop owner, aspiring gemologist—L'Wren brings a diverse perspective to animation, where every frame reflects her varied passions.
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