Disney Visual Effects Workers Vote To Unionize

VFX workers at Walt Disney Pictures have filed with the National Labor Relations Board to hold a union election, seeking to join the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. Over 80% of the studio’s 18 in-house VFX workers supported the move to unionize.

“The unionizing workers are demanding fair compensation for all hours worked, adequate health care, retirement benefits, and more generally, the same rights and protections afforded to their unionized coworkers who are already represented by IATSE,” said IATSE in a press release. IATSE organizer March Patch stated:

Today, courageous Visual Effects workers at Walt Disney Pictures overcame the fear and silence that have kept our community from having a voice on the job for decades. With an overwhelming supermajority of these crews demanding an end to ‘the way VFX has always been,’ this is a clear sign that our campaign is not about one studio or corporation. It’s about VFX workers across the industry using the tools at our disposal to uplift ourselves and forge a better path forward.

Although VFX workers haven’t been union employees in the past, the move to unionize is spreading across the profession, with Marvel VFX workers having voted to unionize earlier this month. “This marks the first time VFX professionals have joined together to demand the same rights and protections as their unionized colleagues in the film industry,” IATSE said of the Marvel unionization effort.

Even before the union votes, VFX workers sounded the alarm about unacceptable working conditions, speaking out against unrealistic deadlines, unmanageable workloads, and hostile work environments. “Bullying is a huge problem in our industry because everybody’s so desperate sometimes,” VFX artist Joe Pavlo told The Guardian in 2022. “It seems like there’s such a high level of stress and pressure on these jobs to complete on time, to change everything at the drop of a hat.”

While VFX workers begin to organize, the labor movement across the entertainment industry is in full swing. Members of the Writers Guild of America have been on strike since May, with the actors of SAG-AFTRA having joined them in July. Both writers and actors are fighting for fair pay, better working conditions, and job security in the face of AI.

(featured image: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)