Marvel VFX Workers Unanimously Vote to Unionize

Matt Webb Mitovich
·3 min read

Marvel Studios’ visual effects (VFX) workers have unanimously voted in favor of unionizing with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), the union announced on Wednesday.

This marks the first time that a unit of solely VFX Workers has unionized with IATSE since visual effects were pioneered nearly a half-century ago. All votes were in favor of Marvel Studios’ VFX workers unionizing with IATSE, with zero against.

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Walt Disney Pictures VFX staffers have similarly begun voting in their own NLRB election, with the results expected on Oct. 2.

The Marvel vote came amid an increasingly public dialogue about the unrealistic demands put on VFX workers these days, and the untenable working conditions under which they must perform. A main cause of this turning point is the fact that VFX houses typically need to bid a flat rate for any TV or movie project, regardless of the hours and hours that ends up being required. And since inevitably the lowest bid wins, VFX houses barely survive (…or fold) by generating the slimmest of margins.

And because the majority of VFX workers don’t collect overtime pay (even for 12-plus hour days), the lowest-paid employees might wind up making less than minimum wage.

As She-Hulk star Tatiana Maslany opined a year ago, “I feel incredibly deferential to how talented these artists are and how quickly they have to work… like much quicker than probably should be given to them, in terms of churning these things out,” She-Hulk head writer Jessica Gao concurred, saying, “It’s terrible that a lot of artists feel rushed and feel that the the workload is too massive. I think everybody on this [TCA] panel stands in solidarity with all workers and is very pro-good working conditions.”

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In the wake of the historic vote count, Sarah Kazuko Chow, a VFX Coordinator at Marvel, remarked, “I grew up dreaming of working on Marvel films, so when I started my first job at Marvel, I felt like I couldn’t complain about the unpaid overtime, the lack of meal breaks, and the incredible pressure put on VFX teams to meet deadlines because I was just supposed to be grateful to be here at all. But the reality is that every worker deserves rights, and joining IATSE means we don’t have to choose between the job we love and having identities outside of our work.”

Mark Patch, VFX Organizer for IATSE, said in a statement, “Today, VFX workers at Marvel Studios spoke with a unanimous, collective voice, demanding fair pay for the hours they work, healthcare, a safe and sustainable working environment, and respect for the work they do. There could be no stronger statement highlighting the overwhelming need for us to continue our work and bring union protections and standards to all VFX workers across the industry.”

Following the outcome of this vote, the next step for the union is to engage in collective bargaining negotiations with the employer to draft a contract that outlines terms and conditions of employment, including wages, hours and working conditions. Both the union and the employer are “obligated to negotiate in good faith” to reach an agreement on these terms. At this early stage, IATSE reports, no negotiation dates have yet been scheduled.

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