Three-Year Deal Cracked By Guild

The Animation Guild has ratified the collective bargaining agreement reached with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, the union announced Friday. The membership vote was 86.7% in favour, with 13.3%. Similar to the IATSE Basic Agreement deal ratified last month, the guild’s pact includes 2 percent annual wage increases. Health, pension and IAP benefits will be under the terms of the Basic Agreement. The contract will be in effect from August 1, 2012 to July 31, 2015. The Guild’s business representative Steve Hulett noted, they are gratified with the level of support this contract received. The contract talks were not easy, and the negotiation committee wondered at times if we would ever reach a conclusion.

The guild walked out of talks in April, returning in June after a heavily attended special membership meeting and guild survey of contract priorities. Other provisions of the new agreement include a new storyboard revisionist classification, and changes to the talent development program and the DreamWorks Animation wage minimums. The guild represents 2,600 artists, writers and technicians in the animation industry and is in an organizing campaign to represent visual effects artists. The industry experts are stating that, it is one of the finest bargains that guild has made. In addition, they also stated that, this bargain would help guild in building up the best of the best efforts and work in the field of animation as they are having the maximum number of experts and technicians who are associated with the world of animation since decades.