DreamWorks remote workers approve first Animation Guild agreement
DreamWorks Animation’s remote unit ratified a first contract, bringing covered workers pay, healthcare and pension terms matching on-campus staff.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
2 min read
DreamWorks Animation remote workers have approved their first collective bargaining agreement with The Animation Guild, according to Variety. The DreamWorks remote workers agreement was ratified Aug. 21, with 97% of participating voters backing the contract.
Ninety of 108 eligible workers voted, a turnout of 83.3%, Variety reported. The deal covers a U.S.-based remote unit whose jobs are traditionally covered by The Animation Guild’s master agreement when performed in Los Angeles County.
What does the DreamWorks remote workers agreement cover?
The agreement puts covered remote staff on the same terms as on-campus workers for wage standards, healthcare, pension coverage and other protections, Variety reported. Those protections are delivered through a sideletter to the IATSE Local 839, or Animation Guild, master agreement.
Before the contract, remote artists and technicians on the same projects as their Los Angeles colleagues did not have the same wage scales, benefits or protections, according to Variety.
The reported terms include the same healthcare and pension plans available to on-campus workers. Individual healthcare premiums will be $0 for covered remote animators, Variety said.
Pay is also set to rise for the lowest-paid covered remote artist, from $40.82 an hour to $62.22 an hour. Variety described that change as a 52.4% increase.
Which DreamWorks remote jobs are included?
The unit includes remote workers across the United States in roles such as story artists, animators, character effects artists, technical directors, lighters, visual development artists, modelers and production coordinators, Variety reported.
Anthony Holden, a DreamWorks story artist who served on the negotiation committee, told Variety that the deal gives remote employees access to the healthcare and pension protections long available to colleagues working at Los Angeles studios. He said the agreement also allows workers to remain in locations that suit their family and personal circumstances while working under the same terms.
The DreamWorks vote is separate from a union effort at Sony Pictures Animation. Variety reported that Sony workers voted to unionize on Aug. 27 after the company declined voluntary recognition and the workers proceeded to a National Labor Relations Board election.
This story draws on original reporting from Variety.