Animation Guild | We are 839 Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1446450
ANNIVERSARY ISSUE 9 D E PA R T M E N T Artists, craftspeople, and techs. Like professional stunt people, we all know each other. The old-timers taught us: "You work with the same people, only the producers change." Over the years I've risen through the ranks, headed departments, directed, partnered in a small company. I've seen companies rise and fall, been backstabbed, promoted, fired. Companies that assured me "you'll always have a job here" laid me off. Yet when the battle is over, and the smoke clears, the only people left for you are your friends. Your animation family. I never really set out to be a big- shot union leader. I liked my job as an animator. I worked for union and non-union companies alike. Then, in 1991, I went to the officer nomination meeting to make sure they didn't nominate some real ding-a-ling. They nominated me. Go figure! Once I became president of Local 839, I sought the advice of some of the older animators who had served as officers on past executive boards, including Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, two of Disney's famous Nine Old Men. Many recalled the big strike at Disney in 1941 and the struggles in the years that followed to establish the union. When these old- timers spoke about their experiences, their eyes sparkled: "Yeah, we shut 'em down. It made the boss crazy." But it wasn't conflict for conflict's sake. It was about establishing citywide rules for the workplace. Standardized wage minimums. Paid overtime and sick leave. No arbitrary firing because the boss doesn't like your face, or you refused to go out with a predatory exec. Screen credits—the public was really led to believe Walt Disney drew everything himself! ALL IN THE FAMILY I came to L.A. around 50 years ago. Most of the big studios I worked for then are gone—notes in a film trivia book—except Walt Disney. Yet we animation workers are all still working. The only consistent thread is us. Before the union, most animation studios had a 46-hour work week. That meant six hours on Saturday, before any overtime. Most of the studios converted to a 40-hour week the year they knew the guilds were planning to push for mass recruiting and recognition. And to win these concessions, union supporters didn't just face losing their jobs, they faced blacklisting, even the threat of violence. All so in the twilight of their careers, they could look back with pride at what they had accomplished. L. A . has the highest standard of living in the animation world. The best contract and the best medical benefits. Other studios around the globe refer to our contract when budgeting theirs. Those union old-timers imbued me with their passion to accomplish things for our whole animation community. They entrusted my generation with the organization that they built, with a hope it will go on into the future. This Union is your Union. Just as many animators employed at Walt Disney or Warner Bros. take pride in being part of those studios' legacies, so Local 839 has a legacy that will live on into the future. Love your craft. Love your animation family. It's our tradition. Tom Sito President Emeritus (1992-2001) ANNIVERSARY ISSUE 9