As I mentioned below, TAG reached agreement on a new three-year contract last night. The Readers Digest summary of the deal is as follows:
Contract Term: August 1, 2009 to July 31, 2012
Wage and Pension and Health Increases: 2% wages, 1 1/2% pension and health benefits (As per the IA Basic Agreement -- total yearly increases: 3 1/2%.)
There are some other small changes, but that's the gist of it for people working under the deal. And now ... a few answers to questions ...
Q: Didn't the unions in the IA West Coast Bargaining Unit (editors, cinematographers, electricians, grips ...) get 3% wage increases when their deal was negotiated last year?
A: They did. The Basic Agreement's negotiations commenced in April of 2008, shortly after the WGA strike, and the IA secured at that time a commitment for 3% annual bump-ups.
TAG, during the same month the IA concluded negotiations for the Basic Agreement, also secured a 3%, 3%, 3% deal from Nickelodeon Cartoon Studios, which had a different contract termination date that ended last Fall.
What a difference a calendar year makes.
In 2009, the IATSE ... and TAG ... found that 2% bump-ups were the best they could achieve. In the past seven months, our mother international has negotiated two sizable contracts with 2% annual increases; other IA guilds with which we've checked are also negotiating 2% deals.
So. What are the cash differences (2% vs. 3%) going forward? Here's one example for the journey minimum rates (weekly) for animators, designers, background and layout artists, and animation writers under the two computations:
2% -- 2009-10: $1,565.33 2010-11: $1,596.64
3% -- 2009-10: $1,580.68 2010-11: $1,628.10
Weekly differences -- 2009-10: ($15.35) 2010-11: ($31.46)
Q: Why didn't you hold out? Try to get a better deal?
The committee talked about doing that. Back in May, the committee thought we'd be negotiating past the contract expiration of July 31 and "hanging tough" if we didn't get the deal we wanted.
But there were a couple of problems with that.
One. We were informed by the IA and two directors of the Motion Picture Industry Health Plan, that if we didn't secure a new deal that included additional contributions into the Plan, TAG participants would begin paying a $950 deductible for health services as of August.
(This doesn't mean that anyone would be slapped with a bill on, say, August 1st, but individuals who used the Plan's medical coverage after the start of August would be required to pay a deductible for services up to a cap of $950.)
Two. After we checked with other IATSE unions and guilds, it became clear that 2% wage increases were what the conglomerates and studios were going with ... had been going with ... since January. And that the 2% formulation was unlikely to change absent major, huge leverage.
Three. We didn't have major, huge leverage.
Thus, the above was where we ended up. The conclusion to the negotiations wasn't awful, but it wasn't where we expected ... or originally hoped ... to touch down for a landing. (We will be reviewing the entire contract package at the August 4th General Membership Meeting at our new digs in Burbank. So if you're a member, be there.)
Here's an overview of TAG contract talks of the distant past ...
And the negotiation of three years ago.
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15 comments:
thx for the history lesson. why did the anim writers want separate residuals in 2000? don't we all get them toward our health and pension?
They wanted WGA-type residuals in addition to the residuals that flow into the plans.
We worked at it for nine months. The producers never budged.
To clarify--is it 2% wage increases for all three years?
shouldn't everyone on a production under tag receive compensation in equitable fashion? salaries vary, but collective bargaining is for the group, correct?
The minimum wage bump-ups will be 2% per year for three years, or 6.1% compounded.
Compared to other unions (SAG) and the state of the economy, I think overall we did well.
Smooth and progressive is always good, no deductibles for medical benefits is always good.
Thanks guys!
yes, thanks for holding the wolves back.
unfortunately, by the end of this contract, the spiraling economy will likely erase even more of the foundations from beneath our feet, turning a miniature 2% into a microscopic .02%.
don't believe the hype - deep, deep quicksand ahead.
"They wanted WGA-type residuals in addition to the residuals that flow into the plans."
Why would they think they deserve this? How silly. And this should only be agreed upon if the director and story artists who contribute as much, and often more, to the creation of stories, also get these residuals.
"We didn't have major, huge leverage."
Just out of curiosity, what would it take to get that leverage in the future? Does the guild have the ability to ever Strike? I was always under the impression we could never do so, and thus never will have much pull against the Studios/Producers.
Clarify?
I saw on the AWN site there was a mention that with the new agreement, members now have to log more hours to be eligible for benefits. How many hours are now required and how many hours can we bank?
signed,
a concerned animator
Just out of curiosity, what would it take to get that leverage in the future? Does the guild have the ability to ever Strike? I was always under the impression we could never do so, and thus never will have much pull against the Studios/Producers.
Clarify?
TAG can strike when it's contract is expired (which is the same for every other union). Until the current CBA expires, there's a no-strike clause in effect. Once it expires, the membership would have to vote to approve a strike, and the IATSE would have to sanction the strike. Local 839 struck in both 1979 and 1982.
But the bigger question is about leverage, and a strike (or strike threat) is only one form of leverage. In the above post, Steve is referring to his (and my) impression that, although the membership has some issues, there isn't a grassroots militancy sufficient for the negotiating committee to justify holding out for better terms. Especially when that holding out would be costing people significant medical copayments until a new contract was agreed to.
It is infuriating that artistic talent for one of the few bright spots for employment in LA is not compensated correctly for our contributions. In fact, writers and actors still seem to fare much better in animation (see Futurama thread above), yet they are not what is unique about it.
Leverage? It is staring us right in the face. The unique art of animation is leverage. When will this professional organization start negotiating with that reality in mind, rather than abdicating our uniqueness and profession to the giant cookie-cutter approach of IATSE labor. And I stress profession, as we are not just skilled labor.
Why do we stand by and consistently let the WGA fill that spot and stake claim to their 'unique' contribution to the success of animation - and without even a peep from TAG? Tom Short sure was pissed. Where the hell were we? Holding WGA signs as 'brothers' in labor? Making nice is fine and good, but that doesn't say anything about what TAG stands for. What do we stand for? Does Hollywood, the studios, do they even know who we are? They know IATSE. They know Pixar. They know Dreamworks. They know who the WGA is. They know WGA believes they are animation. The entire world certainly knows animation when they pay money to go see it.
Hollywood has absolutely no idea who TAG is.
I'm not advocating militancy or strike. But we need to make our mark. It would be nice to know how much income the artists in this town bring in to the studios as opposed to the amount of money predominately non-animation IATSE labor brings in to the studios. Who the hell is TAG?
I'm not advocating militancy or strike. But we need to make our mark.
I'd love to know what you ARE advocating? You're correct about a lot of what you write, but let's face it, the studios do NOT negotiate based on 'uniqueness.' Has the WGA tried this approach? Yes. Have they been far, far more militant than TAG? Yes. Do they have more well-known, heavy hitters in their camp? Yes.
And what have they accomplished over the last 20 years with that 'uniqueness' and that militancy and the constant, whining demands for respect? How is their contract better than it was 20 years ago?
Being more like the WGA is a solution that has already been shown to be a failure. Please, by all means, let's hear suggestions for how TAG should make its mark in its own way.
without qualities that distinguish tag from iatse - significant, unique qualities - and without underlining them over and over again, there is no leverage.
we have great health and okay pension. that's tag. just saying that is par. we need more than par to survive today. animation in Hollywood does significantly more than par in LA. just doing the math.
I would like to re-iterate the previously unanswered question.Some sites are reporting that with the new agreement, members now have to log more hours to keep benefits. Can someone clarify what changes were made?
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