Visual effects artists working on James Cameron's “Avatar'' voted to form a union in the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) election. From The Hollywood Reporter: Of the 88 eligible employees who support the production of Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment at TCF US Productions, a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, 57 voted to unionize, and 19 others. cast a negative vote, and the two votes were invalidated. These employees include creature costumers and environment artists, as well as stage, environment, rendering, postvis, sequence, turnover, and kabuki department staff. Labor and management will be able to raise objections within the next few days, and if no objections are raised, the election results will be certified.
This bargaining unit does not include employees of VFX equipment vendors. Weta FX in particular is his leading VFX company for the Avatar films and employs the majority of his 1,000+ artists who work on a typical Avatar film. But unionizing the group would be a huge step forward for the industry's labor movement, believes one VFX industry insider who spoke with THR. “It's an insignificant number, but this is a core team that answers to Jim Cameron,” the source said. “They are not necessarily impressive in size, but they are impactful.”
Workers first announced their candidacy in December and filed for a union election with the NLRB. At the time, the participating workers said in a public statement that they aimed to earn the same benefits, pay their unionized co-workers and have greater involvement in their working conditions. “All of my colleagues have dedicated a lot of time, creativity, and passion to making these movies happen. So whether they're struggling to cover their medical insurance premiums or working on multiple roles, it's important to know that they've put a lot of time, creativity, and passion into making these movies happen. When I see people taking on jobs and being overworked or just barely scraping by, their wages…I can't keep quiet about it,'' said Kabuki star Jennifer Anaya.
