[[link removed]]

PORTSIDE CULTURE

AT LONG LAST, MARVEL AND DISNEY VFX WORKERS RATIFY FIRST UNION
CONTRACT  
[[link removed]]


 

Emma Keates
May 16, 2025
AV Club
[[link removed]]


*
[[link removed]]
*
[[link removed]]
*
*
[[link removed]]

_ VFX workers have been speaking out about the pressure and poor
working conditions at Marvel for years now. _

, Screenshot: Marvel Entertainment/YouTube

 

In a major labor victory, VFX workers at Marvel and Disney as well as
the _Avatar _franchise “overwhelmingly” voted to ratify their
first collective bargaining agreements. IATSE announced
[[link removed]] the
achievement today, though _The Hollywood Reporter_ specifies
[[link removed]] that
one contract, covering Marvel and Disney workers, was ratified on
Wednesday, while a different agreement, specifically related to
animators on the _Avatar _franchise, was ratified in February.

Both deals offer minimum wage for workers and access to IATSE’s
healthcare and pension benefits. The _Avatar _contract
[[link removed]] specifically
offers workers preferential hiring rights on future _Avatar _films,
annual pay increases, meal penalties, rest periods, and dismissal and
displacement pay. It also contains language protecting workers against
the use of AI, which is of particular note for this franchise
considering the fact that filmmaker James Cameron recently joined the
board of an AI firm
[[link removed]] and
expressed his feeling that “the intersection of generative AI and
CGI image creation is the next wave.” While IATSE’s summary of
the Disney/Marvel contract
[[link removed]] doesn’t
mention AI, it also provides overtime pay and minimum hour guarantees,
new minimum pay rates, rest protection equal to the editorial crew,
meal contracts, and annual wage increases. 

This win has been a long time coming
[[link removed]].
Most other Hollywood jobs are already covered by unions (the impact of
which we saw during the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes
[[link removed]] in 2023),
with VFX as a notable holdout. Around the time of the strikes, Marvel
animators also began speaking out about the atrocious working
conditions
[[link removed]] that’d
been subjected to by the studio, with one whistleblower
[[link removed]] alleging
that they regularly worked “64 hours a week on a good week,” and
often saw their coworkers experiencing “anxiety attacks,” “break
down,” and “crying” from work.

While Disney VFX coordinator and contract negotiator Mack Robinson
acknowledged in a statement shared by IATSE “this agreement with
Disney and Marvel is what I hope is just the first step to a broader
change for the VFX industry,” other organizers celebrated the
ratification as an outright win. “This is not just a victory for
Marvel/Disney, but a much-needed win for the entire VFX industry,”
said Cael Liakos-Gilbert, a VFX data wrangler at Marvel. “Seeing
this come together after over two years as an organizer, contract
negotiator, and now a founding union member is one of the proudest
moments of my life. We’ve proven what is possible through
determination and willpower, and don’t have to speculate or be
shrouded in cynicism and doubt any longer. We’ve put ink to paper
and given our people the contract we deserve.”

* MARVEL
[[link removed]]
* Disney
[[link removed]]
* VFX workers
[[link removed]]
* IATSE
[[link removed]]

*
[[link removed]]
*
[[link removed]]
*
*
[[link removed]]

 

 

 

INTERPRET THE WORLD AND CHANGE IT

 

 

Submit via web
[[link removed]]

Submit via email
Frequently asked questions
[[link removed]]
Manage subscription
[[link removed]]
Visit portside.org
[[link removed]]

Twitter [[link removed]]

Facebook [[link removed]]

 



########################################################################

[link removed]

To unsubscribe from the xxxxxx list, click the following link:
[link removed]