Marvel Studios VFX employees file unionization paperwork with IATSE

The hardworking employees who make up Marvel’s VFX crews have decided to join the National Labor Relations Board and have chosen to be represented by IATSE. Positions such as set designers/art directors, camera operators, audio, editors, hair and make-up artists, costumes/wardrobes, script supervisors, grips, lighting, props and painters have long been represented by IATSE in film and television, but workers in VFX classifications historically have not.

IATSE President Matthew Loeb said of the filing:

“We are witnessing an unprecedented wave of solidarity that is breaking down old barriers in the industry and showing that we are all together in this fight. This doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Entertainment workers around the world are fighting for each other’s rights, that’s what our movement is all about. I applaud these workers for taking this important step and using their collective voice.”

According to the union, “this marks the first time VFX professionals have come together to demand the same rights and protections as their unionized peers in the film industry.”

Mark Patch, the IATSE VFX organizer said:

“For nearly half a century, workers in the visual effects industry have been denied the same protections and benefits their colleagues and crewmates have relied on since the Hollywood film industry’s inception. This is a historic first step for VFX workers to unite with a collective voice that demands respect for the work we do.”

Visual effects coordinator Bella Huffman highlighted some of the issues facing visual effects workers.

“Delivery times don’t apply to us, protected hours don’t apply to us, and pay equity doesn’t apply to us,” he said. “Visual effects must become a sustainable and safe department for all those who have suffered too long and for all newcomers who need to know they will not be exploited.”

The union notes that the call for a union election “comes at a pivotal time in the film and television industry” amid the ongoing strikes by the Writers Guild and SAG-AFTRA. The WGA has been on strike since May 2 and SAG-AFTRA since July 14.

Good for them. I hope they get the rights they are entitled to.

via: Deadline