Standard CBA minimums going up on July 31

At the end of this month the Animation Guild’s standard collective bargaining agreement enters its third year, and the minimum rates of pay will be going up by two percent. In addition, the minimum required hours needed per six-month period to retain health coverage will increase from 300 hours to 400.

With an increasing number of people working at the CBA minimums, members need to be aware of the minimum rate of pay for their category. These are minimums; studios are not required to raise overscale pay unless the new minimum is greater than your pay rate. For all the CBA minimums, go to our website.

Studios are required to automatically raise the pay of any employee whose rate falls below the numbers listed below and in our collective bargaining agreement. Any below-scale payments must be promptly reported to the Guild, since there is a one-year statute of limitations on wage complaints.

Here’s a summary of some of the journey minimums, effective July 31, 2011:

HOURLY/WEEKLY SALARIES:

Production Board [staff] : $1,872.84 per 40-hour week

Animator, Background, Layout, Model Designer, Animation Writer, Visual Development, CGI Animator/Modeler, Production Technical Director [I]: $40.714 per hour; $1,628.56 per 40-hour week

Key Assistant Animator, Key Assistant CGI Animator/Modeler [II], Production Technical Director [II]: $39.018 per hour; $1,560 per 40-hour week

Assistant Animator, Assistant Background, Assistant Layout, Assistant Model Designer, Animation Checker, Color Key, Assistant CGI Animator/Modeler [III], Production Technical Director [III], Digital Check: $34.843 per hour; $1,393.72 per 40-hour week

SCRIPT/STORYBOARD UNIT RATES:

IMPORTANT: Minimum health and pension contribution hours for unit-rate scripts and storyboards will also increase effective July 31, to the amounts listed below.

7-15 minutes:

• Synopsis and Outline: $894.21; 47 health and pension hours

• Storyboard Only: $1,488.15; 51 health and pension hours

• Teleplay or Screenplay: $2.916.62; 153 health and pension hours

• Full Script* (outline plus screenplay): $3,810.83; 200 health and pension hours

Half-hour subjects:

• Synopsis and Outline: $1,590.76; 91 health and pension hours

• Storyboard Only: $2,825.93; 100 health and pension hours

• Teleplay or Screenplay: $5,590.08; 309 health and pension hours

• Full Script* (outline plus screenplay): $7,180.84; 400 health and pension hours

One hour or more:

• Synopsis and Outline: $2,367.35; 93 health and pension hours

• Storyboard Only: $4,215.08; 151 health and pension hours

• Teleplay or Screenplay: $8,409.12; 307 health and pension hours

• Full Script* (outline plus screenplay): $10,776.47; 400 health and pension hours

* reflects the Synopsis and Outline minimum plus the Teleplay or Screenplay minimum.

This summary only reflects the rates in our standard CBA, and it is not inclusive of all job categories or non-journey levels. Nor does it necessarily reflect the minimums in contracts covering Guild members at with Disney/TTL, Sony Pictures Animation or Nickelodeon.

Finally: If, like many members, you're paid over these minimums, that is at least in part due to knowing not only the minimum rates of pay but also the "going rates". Please help you fellow animation workers know those rates b7y filling out our wage survey questionnaire. Information on the survey, and links to the questionnaire form, are here.