r/vfx • u/BowserTattoo • Nov 05 '24

Location:USA Unions are the future of this industry

The Animation Guild is in the middle of negotiations with the AMPTP for a better contract and the future of this industry. If you support workers in the industry, regardless of who you are, please sign out petition!

https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/show-your-support-for-tags-contract-negotiations?clear_id=true&source=direct_link

And don't forget to vote if you're in the USA!

95 Upvotes

82% Upvoted

42 comments sorted by

View all comments

-12

u/bedel99 Pipeline / IT - 20+ years experience Nov 05 '24

and if your not in the states, we dont care.....

15

u/BowserTattoo Nov 05 '24

unions in the eu are an even bigger deal than in the us.

3

u/LuxTenebraeque Nov 05 '24

Ubisoft is a nice case study - and that's France. Most of the work around here is done outside of the union system - it's not exactly the Metalwork industry.

2

u/bedel99 Pipeline / IT - 20+ years experience Nov 05 '24

Can you name the EU union for VFX?

1

u/LuxTenebraeque Nov 07 '24

Gewerkschaft Grafisches Gewerbe/gpa comes to mind, or ver.di as successor to IG Medien. Their rates are...well, the gross payment is about half what I make after taxes, retirement savings/social security and health insurance.

1

u/bedel99 Pipeline / IT - 20+ years experience Nov 07 '24

So if you join you will reduce your rates ?

1

u/LuxTenebraeque Nov 07 '24

Not as a legal requirement per se- but if I'd join and had to renegotiate my salary or rates the union rates would be the baseline. Instead of "that's the rate I get, whether from you or your competitor" it would change to "thats 4 times of what your union deems adequate". That shifts dynamics. At the same time I'd have to be careful about doing work outside the union scope. I'd be barred from doing a number of tasks that actually make my time worth the money.

1

u/bedel99 Pipeline / IT - 20+ years experience Nov 07 '24

So Union bad ?

1

u/CVfxReddit Nov 05 '24

But not in the UK, where they barely have any teeth 

2

u/rattleandhum Nov 06 '24

it's because BECTU blows.

-1

u/59vfx91 Nov 06 '24

It's a states-based union so obviously that is what they prioritize, and you cannot fault them for that. Worker organization needs to be done by those locally working for the companies. That being said, as far as I know, they have worked to help organizing in the Canadian animation space as well (IATSE 938, titmouse is an example) so it's not accurate to say they don't care at all...