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| Animation Guild (IATSE Local 839) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Animation Guild (IATSE Local 839) |
| Founded | 1952 |
| Location country | United States |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California |
| Members | ~4,000 (varies) |
| Parent organization | International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees |
Animation Guild (IATSE Local 839) The Animation Guild (IATSE Local 839) is a labor union representing animation and visual effects professionals in the United States, primarily in Southern California. It negotiates collective bargaining agreements for artists, writers, technicians, and production staff working for studios, streaming platforms, and independent producers, and administers health, pension, and residual programs. The Guild interacts with major industry entities and cultural institutions while participating in broader labor movements in entertainment.
Local 839 was chartered in the early 1950s amid postwar growth in Hollywood production and the expansion of television animation, linking to the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and aligning with contemporaneous unions such as the Directors Guild of America and the Writers Guild of America. Early campaigns involved disputes with studios including Walt Disney Studios and Warner Bros. over staffing, crediting, and wage practices during the era of theatrical short subjects and television series like The Flintstones and Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!. The Guild expanded through the rise of feature animation from studios like Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar and later engaged with newcomers such as DreamWorks Animation and Blue Sky Studios. As streaming services emerged, Local 839 negotiated with companies including Netflix, Amazon MGM Studios, Hulu, and Apple TV+ to address changes in production models and distribution. The Guild has intersected with landmark labor events in Los Angeles, including actions contemporaneous with the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.
The Guild is governed by an elected board and officers drawn from active members, working alongside the IATSE international leadership headquartered in New York. Membership encompasses animators, background painters, layout artists, storyboard artists, character designers, timing directors, ink-and-paint staff, compositors, visual effects artists, and production coordinators, who have also collaborated with companies such as Sony Pictures Animation, Paramount Pictures, Illumination Entertainment, and independent studios. The membership interacts with professional associations and educational institutions like California Institute of the Arts, Savannah College of Art and Design, and Rochester Institute of Technology via recruitment, training initiatives, and guest lectures. Local 839 coordinates with other unions including the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, United Auto Workers, and craft locals within IATSE on jurisdictional matters. The Guild’s membership has included individuals who worked on renowned works such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Toy Story, Shrek, The Simpsons, and Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Collective bargaining agreements negotiated by the Guild cover wages, working conditions, residuals, credits, overtime, safety, and intellectual property provisions, engaging with major employers like Nickelodeon Animation Studio, Cartoon Network Studios, Adult Swim, Netflix Animation, and independent producers. Contracts have evolved to address digital distribution, streaming residuals, and the use of freelance and remote labor that grew with platforms such as YouTube and Vimeo. The Guild has pursued language comparable to that negotiated by the Writers Guild of America and the Directors Guild of America on issues like residual formulas and credits; it has also referenced standards from the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists in enforcement strategies. Arbitration and National Labor Relations Board precedents have shaped enforcement of bargaining agreements.
Local 839 asserts jurisdiction over creative, production, and technical roles within hand-drawn, stop-motion, computer-generated, and mixed-media animation as well as certain visual effects categories. Covered classifications include storyboard artists, animators, background painters, color stylists, layout artists, timing directors, sequence directors, cleanup artists, inkers, painters, compositors, and roto/paint crew, often in productions by Laika, Studio Ghibli (U.S. collaborations), Aardman Animations (U.S. projects), and in VFX work for Industrial Light & Magic and Weta Digital on co-produced features. Jurisdictional questions sometimes overlap with post-production locals, freelancers represented by The Animation Guild's counterpart organizations, and international vendors engaged by studios such as Netflix and Amazon MGM Studios.
The Guild administers health and welfare, pension, and residual plans negotiated through collective agreements, providing members access to medical, dental, vision, and retirement benefits tied to hours worked and covered employment. Pension plans have been structured to mirror models used by entertainment unions like the Actors' Equity Association and IATSE national plans, with contributions from employers including Universal Pictures and streaming platforms. Benefit portability, spousal provisions, and rules for qualifying hours reflect precedents from multi-employer fringe benefit trust funds used across Hollywood crafts. The Guild also provides training and scholarship programs in collaboration with institutions like California State University, Northridge and nonprofit organizations focused on arts workforce development.
Local 839 engages in political advocacy on labor rights, intellectual property law, workplace safety, and public funding for the arts, lobbying offices such as the California State Legislature and federal agencies including the National Labor Relations Board. The Guild endorses candidates and ballot measures affecting the entertainment industry and coordinates with coalitions like the AFL–CIO and the Hollywood-based Coalition of Hollywood Unions on policy campaigns. It participates in public campaigns concerning tax incentives for production managed by entities such as California Film Commission and state agencies in competitors like Georgia Film Office and New York State Governor’s Office of Motion Picture & Television Development.
While Local 839 has historically used strikes, pickets, and work stoppages as bargaining tools, its major publicized labor actions often align with broader industry movements, including solidarity actions during strikes by the Writers Guild of America and walkouts associated with the Screen Actors Guild‑American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. The Guild has conducted boycotts, informational pickets, and contract protests against employers ranging from traditional studios to digital distributors like Netflix and Amazon when disputes over residuals, crediting, and jurisdiction arise. Local 839’s mobilizations have intersected with high-profile labor events such as the Hollywood strikes of the 21st century and regional labor protests coordinated by the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor.
Category:Trade unions in the United States Category:International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees