Nov 17, 2023

DNEG Vancouver Forms Union with Labour Board Approval (Exclusive Article)

[UDPATED WITH COMMENT FROM IATSE] Yesterday, the British Columbia Labour Relations Board confirmed that workers at DNEG Vancouver have formed a union with IATSE. This makes Vancouver the first vendor-side VFX store in Canada to form a union.

The DNEG Vancouver organizing committee emailed news of the labor board's decision to studio employees; Cartoon Brew obtained a copy of the letter. [This] is a landmark moment for DNEG Vancouver workers and VFX workers across Canada. "Canadian VFX workers have had no union representation in this country for far too long, and we are honored to welcome DNEG Vancouver workers to IATSE. [DNEG workers realized that they needed to work together to improve working conditions, and working with DNEG employees to form a union was a great inspiration"

. [The union and the studios will now begin negotiations on a new contract for the studio's VFX workers; the DNEG Montreal and Toronto organizing committees are working with IATSE to follow the example set by the Vancouver workers.

We first announced in early October that studio employees were working with IATSE to form a union, and things moved quickly from there. In British Columbia, 55% of eligible workers must sign a unionization card before applying to the Labour Board; after meeting this criteria at DNEG Vancouver, the workers' bargaining unit applied to IATSE to unionize, and yesterday the Labour Board made a favourable decision.

DNEG Vancouver workers are now part of the newly formed IATSE Local 402, which covers VFX workers in British Columbia; Cartoon Brew reached out to DNEG Vancouver for comment but did not receive a response.

DNEG Vancouver has provided VFX and animation for recent Hollywood productions including "Dune 2," "Oppenheimer," "Haunted House," "Bullet Train," "Uncharted," and "Stranger Things" season 4.

The following is the full text of the letter sent to DNEG Vancouver employees:

Hello everyone,

We are pleased to inform you that the BC Labour Relations Board has confirmed today that IATSE and the union have formed at DNEG Vancouver! We are very pleased to share with you that the BC Labour Relations Board has confirmed today that IATSE and the union have formed at DNEG Vancouver!

We wanted to form a union with IATSE at DNEG Vancouver because we wanted to make sure that the workers would be able to work together and that they would be able to work with us!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support and cooperation. This is truly a historic moment for the Canadian VFX industry! Speaking of Trans-Canada, I know that the DNEG Montreal Organizing Committee and the DNEG Toronto Organizing Committee are working hard to follow in our footsteps here in Vancouver.

We will be in touch shortly to discuss next steps as we begin the negotiation process. For now, let's celebrate!

In solidarity,

DNEG Vancouver Organizing Committee and IATSE [29]