Titmouse's New York Workers Vote To Unionize With The Animation Guild

We have been covering the ongoing efforts of The Animation Guild to get better pay and treatment for workers in the American Animation industry (check out our interview with TAG representative Joey Clift for an overview of the situation. TAG's negotiations over animation writers' pay will resume soon, but 2022 has started with a big win for animation workers.

The workers at Titmouse's New York studio have voted to unionize and join The Animation Guild IATSE Local 839. The vote is historic as they are the first animation workers and production staff to do so in over three decades. This will also mark the first time the Guild has represented workers outside of LA County since it was founded over 70 years ago.

90% of employees voted to join, and in response, Titmouse officially recognized the unit. Titmouse workers will soon be negotiating their first union contract with the studio. This comes after Titmouse's Vancouver studio, which also unionized via the Canadian Animation Union last year.

This big win comes in the context of the #PayAnimationWriters and #NewDeal4Animation campaigns, where animation workers are demanding better pay and equality with other live-action film and television workers. This, in turn, is part of a wider effort by IATSE for better pay and conditions across the entertainment industry particularly when it comes to streaming.

“This historic moment is a cause for celebration as we begin a nationwide effort to ensure all

animation workers are treated with respect and are afforded the same benefits and protections as those who are working in Southern California,” says TAG's Business Representative, Steve

Kaplan.

Projects Titmouse have worked on include Star Trek: Lower Decks,  Big Mouth,  Black Dynamite, Nerdland, The Midnight Gospel, Devil May Care and the forthcoming Critical Role: Vox Machina.

Find out how you can help support the campaign here.