You may recall that towards the end of 2021, the Animation Guild was in contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) for animation writers to have pay on par with writers for live action productions. If you have Twitter and follow several high profile people in the animation space, you’re likely aware of the #NewDeal4Animation. After a brief holiday break, those negotiations have been continuing in the months since, and it now appears that some kind of agreement has been reached.
On Friday, the Guild announced that the new, tentative deal struck with the AMPTP will provide retroactive wage increases and “significant gains” for animation writers. Among its many changes, this new deal will address the treatment of streaming services (dubbed “new media” (streaming services), and will create a labour management committee with the goal of “addressing studio specific issues.” According to the Guild, the new contract is also said to pave “a path forward for Union-covered remote work.” Remote work proved to be a boon for animation industry in the early days of the pandemic at a time when the rest of the entertainment industry was either shut down completely or adjusting on the fly to its employees working remotely.
We are pleased to announce that The Animation Guild has reached a tentative agreement with the AMPTP! Thank you to the hard work and passionate advocacy of the Negotiations Committee. Check your inbox for more details. pic.twitter.com/CCjlyiYBKw
— The Animation Guild (@animationguild) May 27, 2022
Animation Guild representative Steve Kaplan provided a statement expressing his pride that an agreement was made between TAG and AMPTP. “The proposals we brought to the employers focused on making the work lives of our members better,” said Kaplan, “and we have made significant progress towards achieving those goals.” The new deal will have to be ratified by Guild members in June, something Kaplan is aware of, as he promises that there’s still work to be done. “We will continue to fight for the rights and benefits our members deserve, as well as ensuring all animation workers across the U.S. can use their collective voice to make similar change.”
[via Variety]
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