Star Wars VFX union forms with IATSE for U.S. franchise workers
U.S.-based Star Wars visual effects workers have joined IATSE and will bargain with Disney on a first contract.
By Bianca Rossi · Entertainment Editor
2 min read
A new Star Wars VFX union is headed to the bargaining table, with U.S.-based visual effects workers across the franchise organizing with IATSE, the union announced Tuesday.
According to IATSE, the bargaining unit covers U.S. workers who contribute to Star Wars productions including The Mandalorian & Grogu, Ahsoka and Star Wars: Starfighter, among other titles. The union said the workers unanimously backed union membership.
The group will now seek a first contract with the studio through collective bargaining, IATSE said. Disney is the studio behind the listed Star Wars titles.
What does the Star Wars VFX union mean?
The unionization move means the covered visual effects professionals will bargain as a group over workplace terms rather than individually. A first contract typically sets negotiated conditions between the workers and the studio, though IATSE did not detail specific proposals in its announcement.
IATSE International President Matthew D. Loeb said in a statement that the workers help create some of entertainment’s most ambitious stories and deserve a voice in their working conditions. He also said the union was proud to welcome the visual effects professionals.
The Star Wars group joins a growing set of Disney-affiliated visual effects workers represented by IATSE. Deadline reported that VFX workers at Marvel Studios, Walt Disney Pictures and the Avatar franchise ratified their first IATSE contracts with the studio last year.
Which Star Wars projects are included?
IATSE said the new unit includes U.S.-based visual effects workers tied to franchise productions such as The Mandalorian & Grogu, Ahsoka and Star Wars: Starfighter. The union described that list as including, but not limited to, those titles.
The announcement did not specify the number of workers in the new unit or name individual job classifications. It also did not include terms the workers plan to seek in bargaining.
The move lands inside one of Hollywood’s most effects-driven franchises, where digital work is central to the creatures, ships, planets and battle sequences that define Star Wars. IATSE’s announcement focused on the workers’ push for representation and a negotiated contract.
Who is IATSE?
IATSE represents about 170,000 technicians, artisans and craft workers in entertainment in the United States and Canada, according to the union. Its members work across live events, film and television production, broadcast and trade shows.
The Star Wars visual effects workers are the latest production-side group to line up under the union’s banner as VFX labor organizing continues inside major studio franchises. Their next step is bargaining with the studio for a first agreement, according to IATSE.
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.