Feb 14, 2024

Production Workers at DreamWorks Animation and Flying Bark's U.S. Office Move to Unionize

Production workers at DreamWorks Animation (DWA) and Flying Bark Productions' U.S. satellite offices are pushing for unionization with the Animation Guild (TAG).

The guild says it is optimistic that both DWA and Flying Bark will voluntarily approve a bargaining unit. If not, the next step is to petition the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to hold a union election.

TAG organizer Allison Smart said of the two proposals:

DreamWorks and Barkers are the latest courageous groups to demand a seat at the table where decisions affecting their lives are made. They, along with production workers from nearly every major animation studio in Los Angeles, are working to defend the reasons they sought their dream jobs in the first place and to ensure transparency and dignity for all animation production workers in the United States

A letter seeking voluntary recognition was sent to the DWA, and the TAG petitioned the NLRB for approval by February 9. The proposed bargaining unit includes the studio's 162 production workers.

DreamWorks Feature Director/Producer Assistant Rachel Carlson explained:

It is an honor to work at a place with such a legacy, but a legacy does not pay the bills and when the industry shifts It doesn't protect us. People in the entertainment industry have relied on unions to fight for their best interests. We are not paid as artists at the DWA, but we should be given the opportunity to be represented. Working for a company valued at approximately $167 billion means that people are not always a priority; under TAG, we can connect directly with people we would not otherwise reach and have our voices heard.

TAG has also sent a letter to Australia-based Flying Bark demanding voluntary recognition. The union's protections will cover only eight U.S.-based workers at the company's Los Angeles satellite office. The group is currently working on the untitled “Stranger Things” animation project, and all of the artists involved in that project are already represented by TAG.

Ellis Bradley, script coordinator for Flying Bark, says:

As a production crew, we were inspired to form a union with the Animation Guild. We love working in animation and want it to be a safe and lasting career for all of us!

Over the past three years, TAG has added nearly 1,200 production workers to its ranks, including employees from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Warner Brothers Animation, Cartoon Network, Titmouse, and Bento Box.