©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection
In a historic move, Marvel Studios’ visual effects employees voted unanimously to unionize the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) in a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) vote, the company announced Wednesday.
This is the first time that a unit consisting entirely of VFX workers has joined IATSE.
Marvel Studios employees initially applied for the election on August 7th, and votes were cast and collected between August 21st and September 11th. In the September 12 count, all votes were in favor of unionization at IATSE and zero votes against.
“Today, Marvel Studios VFX employees spoke with a unanimous, collective voice, demanding fair pay for their hours, healthcare, a safe and sustainable work environment, and respect for the work they do,” Mark Patch, VFX organizer at IATSE said in a statement. “There could be no stronger statement highlighting the overwhelming need for us to continue our work and establish union protections and standards for all VFX workers across the industry. And there could be no stronger example of the courage and solidarity of these workers than each and every one of them saying ‘Union YES!’ explained.”
The vote comes at a time when Marvel films like this year’s lukewarm “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and other special effects blockbusters like “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” have come under fire for the heavy workload and the tight deadlines imposed on the VFX teams.
So far, Marvel Studios is the only in-house VFX team to have merged with IATSE, but Walt Disney Pictures’ VFX staff moved to unionize in late August.
“This is historic and I’m happy to be a part of it,” Thomas Barnard, VFX coordinator at Marvel, said in a statement. “Not only will this radically change the game as we elevate the quality of storytelling through our work, but it is also a huge step forward in caring for the unsung individuals who helped build the industry.”
The next step for the union is to begin collective bargaining with Marvel Studios executives to hammer out a contract that meets workers’ needs. There are currently no trial dates set.
The union vote comes amid the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes as the unions continue to seek fair contracts with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
“Today’s count shows that the unprecedented demand for unionization in new sectors of the entertainment industry is very real,” said Matthew D. Loeb, President of IATSE International. “I congratulate these VFX employees on their historic victory. Your courage, determination and unity are a beacon for workers, not just in the VFX industry, not just in the entertainment industry, but in all industries in this country and beyond. They will enter negotiations with Marvel and Disney with the full support and support of our 170,000-strong alliance. Your fight is our fight.”