Hot Labor Summer is continuing apace, with visual effects (VFX) workers at Marvel Studios now the latest group pushing to unionise. If successful, they will become the first union of VFX workers in the U.S.
A supermajority of over 50 of Marvel Studios’ VFX employees have signed a petition for a unionisation election, stating that they want the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) to represent them. The request was filed to the National Labor Relations Board on Monday, and is the first time VFX workers have attempted to unionise, according to IATSE.
“For almost half a century, workers in the visual effects industry have been denied the same protections and benefits their coworkers and crewmates have relied upon since the beginning of the Hollywood film industry,” said Mark Patch, VFX organiser for IATSE. “This is a historic first step for VFX workers coming together with a collective voice demanding respect for the work we do.”
Vulture reports that the workers are hoping to hold the election as soon as Aug. 21.
“We are VFX workers joining with our entertainment colleagues to form VFX-IATSE: the union for production and facility-based VFX workers,” the budding union’s website reads. “For over 125 years, the IATSE has worked with the largest names in the entertainment industry including Sony, Disney, and Warner Media to hold them accountable for fair treatment of their workers. VFX is integral to almost every film and television production made today. Now it’s our turn to gain the rights and protections almost every other entertainment worker has had for decades!”
Marvel Studios has received multiple awards and nominations for the visual effects in films such as Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, and Spider-Man: No Way Home.
“Turnaround times don’t apply to us, protected hours don’t apply to us, and pay equity doesn’t apply to us,” said VFX coordinator Bella Huffman. “Visual Effects must become a sustainable and safe department for everyone who’s suffered far too long and for all newcomers who need to know they won’t be exploited.”
A wave of workplaces have made moves toward unionising recently, from production staff at Cartoon Network and Warner Bros. Animation, to workers at Tesla, to video game testers at Microsoft. Employees at queer dating and hookup app Grindr and strippers at LA’s Star Garden Topless Dive Bar have also formed unions.
The ongoing Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) strikes have also drawn attention to the power of unionisation and what it can do for workers. Writers and performers are collectively refusing to return to work until the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) agrees to grant them better pay, conditions, compensation, and AI protections — battles they have been fighting for weeks now.
