TAG Contract Ratified

Our office received word this morning of the overwhelming ratification of the agreement reached with the AMPTP back in June. Ballots were sent out to members early this month and collected until 5pm yesterday by the American Arbitration Association.

Out of 2,600 active members, 592 ballots were received, 549 of them eligible. 87% of those voted in favor of ratification, 13% voted against.

This Guild released the following press release this afternoon:

The Animation Guild, Local 839 IATSE membership has ratified the collective bargaining agreement reached with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). The vote was 86.7% in favor, with 13.3% against.

The contract calls for two percent (2%) annual compounded wage increases. Health, pension and IAP benefits are to be provided under the terms of the IATSE Basic Agreement, on which agreement was reached in April. Other provisions of the new agreement include a new storyboard revisionist classification, and changes to the talent development program and the DreamWorks Animation wage minimums. The contract will be in effect from August 1, 2012 to July 31, 2015.

“We’re gratified with the level of support this contract received,” Business Representative Steve Hulett said. “The contract talks were not easy, and the negotiation committee wondered at times if we would ever reach a conclusion.”

The Guild walked out of talks in April, returning in June after a heavily-attended special membership meeting and guild survey of contract priorities.

The Animation Guild is a local union of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States, Its Territories and Canada (IATSE). It represents 2,600 artists, writers and technicians employed in the animation industry.

For further information, contact Steve Hulett at the Animation Guild, (818) 845-7500 or shulett@animationguild.org.