By Variety | Created at 2024-11-25 20:17:56 | Updated at 2024-11-27 03:37:52
1 day ago
The Animation Guild (IATSE Local 839) and AMPTP have reached a tentative deal for a new three-year contact.
TAG, which represents an estimated 5,000 artists, technicians, writers and production workers in the animation industry, began bargaining with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on Aug. 12 and continued intermittently since then. The Master Agreement expired in August but was extended while bargaining was underway.
The guild announced on Monday that the tentative deal includes AI protections “that include notification and consultation provisions,” increases to the health and pension funds (consistent with those in the IATSE Basic Agreement that was negotiated earlier in the year), as well as wage increases of 7% in the first year, 4% in the second year and 3.5% in the third. TAG also reported that it includes protections for remote work, “improved” terms for new media, new bereavement leave terms, additional sick days and recognition of Juneteenth as a holiday.
A TAG membership meeting is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, and additional details about the tentative agreement are expected to be shared as part of that meeting and following the meeting. A ratification vote is in the process of being scheduled.
As with Hollywood’s other recent labor negotiations including the WGA and SAG-AFTRA bargaining that led to last year’s historic double strike, a central issue for the Animation Guild was Gen AI protections amid worries about potential job displacement.
The IATSE Basic Agreement that was ratified in July also includes basic AI guidelines. Some members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees felt those guardrails were not enough, though 86% voted to ratify the contract. The Animation Guild sought to expand those terms.
The Animation Guild was also pushing for better pay and job security at a time when unemployment is high amid industrywide contraction.
“After weeks of negotiations that covered months in the calendar, I’m very proud of the agreement that we reached with the studios for our new contract,” said TAG business rep Steve Kaplan in a released statement. “Not only have we seen the inclusion of the advancements in the industry realized by the other unions and guilds, but we were able to address industry-specific issues in a meaningful way. I am incredible proud of the almost one hundred TAG members that volunteered their time and efforts to work through these negotiations. Our Table and Support Team members were stalwart in their resolve to achieve all that we could during these discussions. As always, this new agreement gives us a solid foundation to work with as we work to keep our industry strong over the next three years.”
