Walt Disney Animation Studios Production Workers Vote to Unionize in Labor Board Election

Katie Kilkenny
·3 min read

About half a year after they went public with their organizing drive, Walt Disney Animation Studios production workers have voted to unionize.

Sixty-three production employees — including production coordinators, production managers and production supervisors — voted to join The Animation Guild (IATSE Local 839) in a National Labor Relations Board ballot count that took place on Wednesday. Out of a total of 68 voters, five workers voted against. If neither of the parties files an objection to the result in five days, they will be certified and labor and management can begin bargaining a first contract.

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In a statement on Thursday, Animation Guild organizer Allison Smartt said, “As the first production workers at a feature animation studio to unionize with TAG, the production workers at Disney are a shining example of tremendous teamwork, patience, fortitude, and courage in the face of the company’s delay tactics.” She added, “They watched and celebrated the ballot count and took a moment to mark this victory, and gather energy from each other as they prepare for the next step on this journey — getting a strong contract.”

The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to Walt Disney Animation Studios for comment.

The development comes after some legal wrangling over whether certain members of this group were eligible to join the union. Disney argued that production managers and production supervisors were managers and did not share a “community of interest” with production coordinators, rendering them unable to join their bargaining unit. In late September, however, an NLRB acting regional director found that the proposed bargaining unit was “appropriate” and issued a direction of election with all the roles included.

Production coordinator Maggie Hughes said in a statement at the time that the win “exemplifies the core of why we’re unionizing.” She added, “We knew throughout this process that everyone in our unit deserves to be eligible but the company still decided to pursue this long and arduous process in an attempt to divide us.”

The workers first announced their intent to unionize in March, stating that Disney had denied their request to voluntarily recognize the group. But their organizing drive began a year earlier, in the winter of 2022, as the group sought changes to pay and portable healthcare that they could bring with them to different jobs. Production coordinator Shannon Henley said, at the time of the unionization attempt’s announcement, “Even though I love my job, I regularly must consider if I should instead find a job with better pay, better hours, better benefits, and a more viable career path forward. Joining TAG gives me hope that I’ll no longer have to consider leaving my dream job in order to live comfortably.”

The bargaining unit of production workers at Disney is just the latest for The Animation Guild. The union has recently been making inroads with these workers at various brands, including Nickelodeon, ShadowMachine, Titmouse New York and Titmouse Los Angeles.

Nov. 2, 10:48 a.m. Updated with statement from The Animation Guild organizer.

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