Animation Guild Deal

The Animation Guild continues the victories of Hollywood unions to protect themselves from AI:

The union that represents animators has reached a new contract deal with the major Hollywood studios after more than three months of bargaining, securing pay increases and artificial intelligence protections.

The Animation Guild, a.k.a. IATSE Local 839, secured a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers early Saturday morning, the union said Monday. The alliance, or AMPTP, represents the studios in labor relations.

The proposed contract now goes to the guild’s membership for ratification.

Negotiations began in August for a new contract that would increase wages, address the shrinking of crews and establish protections against AI, which many animators see as an existential threat to their craft. Studios are eager to save money amid an industry contraction, and AI tools in animation and special effects offer some obvious opportunities to do so.

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The guild touted several gains in the three-year deal, including increases to health and pension funds and wage increases of 7% in the first year, 4% in the second and 3.5% in the third. The pact features AI protections that include notification and consultation provisions, protections for remote work and the recognition of Juneteenth as a holiday.

We will see how much the unions can truly resist AI, but this seems to be a good sign.

Of course, membership has to ratify, and as we saw with the Boeing strike, that is not a guarantee.