Animation Guild | We are 839 Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1542912
LABOR SCHOOL WHO IS A REMOTE WORKER? Animation artists, technicians, writers, and production staff who currently work for Animation Guild signatory studios in L. A . County are automatically covered under the Union's Collective Bargaining Agreements. However, there are people who are hired to work on L. A .-based projects, but who work and live outside L. A . County or California. In some cases, these workers are allowed by their employers to be covered by the contract, but in most cases they are excluded from the same benefits and wage protections as their colleagues working in L. A .. We call these individuals "remote workers." WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF REMOTE WORK AND TAG? Before the Internet became a staple, nobody considered working away from the animation studio as a benefit. Following the pandemic, with so many people having moved out of L.A. County, TAG was able to get employers to confirm that anyone who is hired in L.A. can work outside the county under the Guild contract—if the employer agrees to allow remote work. Studios also started hiring animation workers outside the state to work on L.A.-based projects, and in many cases these individuals were offered lesser rates and protections than their L.A.-based colleagues. Remote workers at Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS) felt everyone working on their projects should be treated the same regardless of zip code. They came together, becoming the first group of remote animation workers organized by TAG to ratify a contract. Shortly after, in December 2025 , DreamWorks Animation (DWA) remote employees living outside L.A. and throughout the U.S., and working on L.A.-based animation projects, formally declared REMOTE CONTROL DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A REMOTE ANIMATION WORKER? READ ON TO FIND OUT. MEET YOUR TAG EXECUTIVE BOARD DAN PINTO T H E L O C A L 14 KEYFRAME