New Delhi

The visual effects teams at Walt Disney Studios have taken a significant stride towards unionisation, having officially filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to initiate an election for this purpose, reported Variety. A noteworthy portion, surpassing 80%, of the 18 in-house visual effects crew members at Walt Disney Pictures have affixed their signatures to authorisation cards, underscoring their collective aspiration.

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This landmark development marks the second instance in history when professionals in the realm of visual effects have united their efforts to seek equivalent safeguards and entitlements as those enjoyed by their peers. Just this past month, the visual effects crews at Marvel Studios resolved to embrace unionisation from August 21. The decisive moment of casting ballots is slated for September 11, followed by the counting of votes the next day.

Mark Patch, an organiser for the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) specialising in visual effects, expressed, "Today, courageous Visual Effects workers at Walt Disney Pictures overcame the fear and silence that have kept our community from having a voice on the job for decades. With an overwhelming supermajority of these crews demanding an end to ‘the way VFX has always been,’ this is a clear sign that our campaign is not about one studio or corporation. It’s about VFX workers across the industry using the tools at our disposal to uplift ourselves and forge a better path forward."

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What's behind unionisation of VFX artists at Disney?

The individuals aligning themselves with the unionisation movement are responsible for the intricate visual effects embellishing the studio's expansive repertoire, encompassing titles like Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King.

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Since the inception of the field during the production of the initial Star Wars films in the 1970s and '80s, visual effects practitioners have predominantly remained unaffiliated with unions. As a part of their drive towards unionisation, these workers are demanding just remuneration for all hours expended, comprehensive healthcare provisions, retirement benefits, and, more broadly, parity in terms of rights and protections accorded to their unionised counterparts who are already represented by IATSE.

These demands resonate with the increasingly pervasive calls for enhancements throughout the visual effects industry and are validated by the findings of IATSE's 2022 VFX Worker Rate and Conditions Survey, which was released in March.

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