Animation Guild | We are 839 Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1512296
WINTER 2023 23 D E PA R T M E N T WHAT ARE YOUR JOB DUTIES? Basically, I help animation industry workers who want a collective voice in their workplace form a union and join TAG! I frequently meet with individuals interested in organizing their workplace and with small groups of workers who are organizing their workplace (aka Organizing Committees). I provide training for these worker-organizers to prepare them for success. For groups that have successfully organized and are "recognized" (meaning TAG is their legally certified collective bargaining representative), I provide training on the negotiation process, help the Negotiations Committee identify negotiation priorities, and attend all bargaining sessions with employers. TAG GOES NATIONAL WINTER 2023 23 T H E L O C A L We reached significant milestones by organizing the first animation studio (Titmouse New York) outside Los Angeles County since our founding in 1952 and by announcing organizing victories in Texas (Powerhouse) and Puerto Rico (Gladius). When TAG arrived at this summer's IATSE General Executive Board meeting, we had plenty to report. The response led to another unprecedented, history-making moment. In a show of support for TAG's ongoing organizing and expansion, the IATSE General Executive Board voted unanimously to grant national jurisdiction over animation to The Animation Guild, Local 839 What does this mean? TAG is one of more than 360 entertainment-related Local Unions operating under the IATSE's national umbrella, and IATSE has designated TAG as the sole IATSE Local authorized to represent animation workers in the United States. It calls on the other Locals to support our efforts, and when they see animation work in their area, they are asked to reach out to TAG to organize and represent that work. This move does not mean that all animation studios across the United States will now automatically adhere to TAG's Collective Bargaining Agreement. It does make the path easier to organizing those studios and creating national standards for fair pay, benefits, and working conditions in the future. OVER THE PAST T WO YEARS, TAG HAS ORGANIZED ANIMATION STUDIOS AT AN UNPRECEDENTED RATE IN ITS HISTORY AS A UNION. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE PART OF YOUR JOB? Witnessing workers' bravery and solidarity. Seeing the real-life impacts of a Collective Bargaining Agreement on peoples' lives: increased wages and health and retirement benefits, protections from unfair discipline, and people banding together to stand up for dignity and respect at work. WHAT'S A FUN FACT ABOUT YOU? I am a sound engineer, designer, and theater technician, and for about four years, I founded and ran a company that produced performances rooted in social justice like MOM BABY GOD and Mixed-Race Mixtape. A broader yet central responsibility is to understand the group that is organizing their workplace—their dynamics, concerns, and challenges—and to help brainstorm, facilitate, and support them to succeed during tough campaigns. In all industries, from Starbucks to Disney Feature Animation, there is often pushback from the employers who want to deny workers' the voice and power they seek on the job through organizing. With the leadership of TAG's Business Representative Steve Kaplan, and significant support from TAG staff, shop stewards, the Executive Board, and counsel, I help these workers examine and execute ways to amplify their collective voices. To learn more about organizing an animation studio, contact organize@tag839.org or visit animationguild.org/start-a-union.