The Animation Guild has launched an ambitious attempt to unionize feature production workers at Netflix Animation Studios as part of its broader effort to expand its reach inside the animation production space.
On Wednesday, a group of 60 workers requested voluntary recognition of a union from management, according to The Animation Guild. The group is attempting to bring an array of production workers — from production assistants to production supervisors to script coordinators — under the tent. The group has worked on titles including the streamer’s upcoming projects based on Roald Dahl’s works and 2023’s Leo.
In a statement, Netflix production coordinator Ana Tessier said that these workers “deserve the same protections as artists — we deserve to fight for sustainable careers.” The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to Netflix for comment.
The guild simultaneously announced on Wednesday that it is attempting to organize the NBCUniversal series Ted, the Peacock continuation of Seth MacFarlane’s franchise. A group of 12 production workers on the production have requested voluntary recognition to join both the Animation Guild and the Editors Guild, a separate Local of the same umbrella union, IATSE.
Ted production coordinator Kelly Simmons nodded in a statement to the Animation Guild’s aggressive unionization of animation production workers in recent years. She added, “We’ve been hard at work the last two months trying to get this show on the road and it’s incredible to see what we’ve accomplished in such a short amount of time.” THR has reached out to NBCUniversal for comment.
The union has been pushing into production roles ever since 2022 in an attempt to grow the labor group’s size and leverage. That effort became perhaps even more timely as generative AI tools developed quickly in ensuing years and now appear poised to disrupt the animation space.
But the union also continues to organize animation artists and technicians. On Wednesday, the union revealed that artists, writers and technicians at the Burbank-based studio SpindleHorse requested and received voluntary recognition to join the Animation Guild on Tuesday. The move will add 106 new members, who have worked on shows including Amazon Prime’s Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss, to the Animation Guild’s ranks.
