'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUH/8QAFQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQL/2gAMAwEAAhADEAAAAMzihX//xAAdEAACAQUBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAABAhEAAwQSIUFh/9oACAEBAAE/AMBse3gPsbezoyFmsSUmJ978ooSeO0V//8QAFhEBAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQAR/9oACAECAQE/AAy//8QAFhEBAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQAR/9oACAEDAQE/AF2//9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Visual effects or the VFX crews of Walt Disney Studios have made a pivotal decision to unionize amidst the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes. This decision came right after the VFX workers initiated a filing with the NLRB or National Labor Relations Board for an election to get the rights to unionize, as reported by Variety.
The news outlet has also stated that more than 80% of the 18 in-house VFX workers at Walt Disney Pictures have signed authorization cards, indicating their deep interest in unionizing. This particular move marks the 2nd historical move that the VFX crew members have jointly taken to claim the same rights and protections as their other colleagues.
Earlier in August 2023, the visual effects crew members of Marvel Studios went on to vote in favor of unionizing, starting on August 21, 2023. Ballots for the voting are due on September 11, 2023, and the counting of the votes is to take place on the next day, September 12, 2023.
Walt Disney VFX workers, unionizing, are behind the VFX creations of hit animated movies like Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, and more
The unionizing visual effects crew members are the ones responsible for the amazing creation of VFX all across Walt Disney studio’s animation project catalog, which entails megahit films, such as The Lion King, Aladdin, and Beauty and the Beast, among others.
The VFX crews have stayed non-union ever since the field of animation began to pioneer during the production of the very first movies in the classic Star Wars franchise in the 1970s and 1980s. As a crucial part of the Walt Disney movies, unionizing VFX crew members are making demands for fair and adequate compensation for all the hours they have worked.
Their demands include adequate retirement benefits, health care, and more generally, similar protections and rights given to their unionized colleagues who have already been represented by the IATSE, as per Variety.
As reported by Variety, Mark Patch, the VFX organizer of IATSE has said in a recent statement:
"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,"
The news outlet has further reported what Matthew D. Loeb, IATSE's International President has said in a statement:
"The determination of these VFX workers is not just commendable, it’s groundbreaking. Their collective action against the status quo represents a seismic shift in this critical moment in our industry. The chorus of voices demanding change is unprecedented, and demonstrates our united movement is not about any one company, but about setting a precedent of dignity, respect, and fairness for all,"
The list of demands by the Walt Disney VFX workers echoes the highly increasing much-needed calls for improvements all around the VFX Industry in Hollywood. Their demands are massively supported by the sentiments uncovered by the 2022 VFX Worker Rate of IATSE and Conditions Survey of IATSE, which was published back in March 2023.
