Statements from TAG Survey Forms

Next week, IATSE unions and guild commence negotiating with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. Sometime in April, TAG will follow. Last week we sent out survey forms inviting active members to give input about those negotiations. Below, some of the issues they have raised. ...

"Penalties for late payment."

"Extending deadlines for TV storyboard artists."

"Improving Prescription Benefits"

"Separated rights for original ideas -- writing."

"I would like to see studios' human resources intervene and take disciplinary actions (including firing) against directors and producers who have crossed the line with abusive and humiliating tactics against an artist. ... These people should be held accountable."

"You've got to do something about unpaid overtime. It is universal in every studio I've worked in, and it is getting worse ..."

"We really need to work on getting the same Rights as the WGA for writing. I recently sold an original idea for a feature at a major studio and the disparity between the TAG contract and the WGA contract is amazing. The complete lack of ANY separated rights nearly made me sick. I gave away a dozen of rights I would have kept if the project was live action. ..."

"Send full disclosure of Foreign Levies payments and how to get them to all deserving Union members. As it is, I get my payments from a union I cannot even join, the DGA, and had it not been for them I would have known nothing of this little extra perk."

"Create a stronger union lawyer base so companies can no longer mistreat or take advantage of their employees. (Steve Hulett is NOT A LAWYER and should not act as such.)"

"The qualifying threshold was recently raised from 300 to 400 hours. I would love to see the limit on bankable hours raised a commensurate amount, to improve the odds of continuing coverage during lean times ..."

"... Here are the important issues I hear about: 1) Long work hours and unpaid overtime. 2) Complete lack of residuals and profit sharing. 3) The combining of two or more positions into one with less time/money. Long tests requiring up to a week's worth of unpaid work sucks too. But what is perhaps most egregious is that most of us feel our union is not one will to fight for its member and our rights. ..."

"Residuals should be expanded or re-organized so that SOME of that money went back to the writer/director/artist instead of straight into health and pension.

"Keep animation jobs in the U.S."

We encourage active members to contact us if they have an interest in serving on the Negotiation Committee. Negotiating sessions are tentatively set for mid-April, but those dates could change if the negotiations for the Basic Agreement go longer than planned.

We'll keep people updated through e-mails and posts here.

Feel free to contact me at shulett@animationguild.org, or call 818-845-7500.