LOS ANGELES, CA —Visual Effects (VFX) workers for Marvel Studios, Walt Disney Pictures, and movie franchise Avatar have voted overwhelmingly to approve their first collective bargaining agreements since unionizing in 2023, the union announced Friday.

After successfully organizing, negotiating, and ratifying first agreements, winning the same benefits and rights as their co-workers in other union crafts, these three bargaining units are representative of a growing movement to unionize VFX workers in North America.

Details of the ratified contracts are available here (Marvel and Disney) and here (Avatar).

IATSE International President Matthew D. Loeb said, “I want to congratulate the member of these VFX bargaining units on negotiating fair contracts that earned such strong support. From when they started this process until today, the leadership and determination shown by these members has been an inspiration.”

For more information about the ongoing efforts to unionize VFX workers, please visit vfxunion.org.

WORKER QUOTES:

Christopher Cornejo, a member leader of the TCF unit and a Creature & Character Senior Technical Director, said, “I am beyond proud of the bravery and hard work shown by my co-workers as we ratify the first ever VFX union contract! It took a lot of guts to fight for better wages, benefits, and working conditions, and I was so proud to do it alongside such talented artists.

“Serving on the Negotiations Committee was the honor of a lifetime and it completely changed my life. I was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis in March of 2023, not too long before we started the organizing campaign. When I was approached about what I would want to see from a union, obviously health care was at the top of my list. There was no way I was going to let this disease stop me from working a job that I love or fighting for a better future for the entire VFX industry. I know how important better health care is to me and to my coworkers and it was so important to me to see this through to the very end. 

“There was no way that we would have accomplished this without every single person in the bargaining unit. While there may have been only nine of us at the table, we knew we had over ninety people that had our backs. If any crew was going to help pave the way for a better future for the VFX industry, it was always going to be the Avatar crew.”

Cael Liakos-Gilbert, VFX Data Wrangler at Marvel, said, “This is not just a victory for Marvel/Disney, but a much-needed win for the entire VFX industry. Seeing this come together after over two years as an organizer, contract negotiator, and now a founding union member is one of the proudest moments of my life. We’ve proven what is possible through determination and willpower, and don’t have to speculate or be shrouded in cynicism and doubt any longer. We’ve put ink to paper and given our people the contract we deserve.”

Mack Robinson, VFX Coordinator at Disney, said, “The road to now has been long, but very fruitful. This agreement with Disney and Marvel is what I hope is just the first step to a broader change for the VFX industry. Getting the recognition of fair pay for good work. I’m very proud to be a founding member, organizer and contract negotiator for this deal and we couldn’t have done it without everyone who supported our cause. In our craft, we’re always looking at ways to improve and overcome challenges on a daily basis, and this is another example of what we can do when we all come together.”

Justin Meade, Continuity Manager and Virtual Camera Coordinator, said, “I am so proud of the Avatar VFX crew for voting to ratify the first VFX union contract in history! Just one more way our crew is leading the industry, and I deeply hope that other VFX crews will follow with us and vote to Unionize. Our power is in our labor, and our voices are heard through our solidarity, and now the Avatar crew will all have the chance at an equitable life working in one of our country’s best industries.

“We are all in this together, and I am proud that our unit rose to the challenge and fought for our rights to better pay, better benefits and better protections against outsourcing our work. The Negotiation Committee would not have fought this hard if we did not truly believe in this group of people and we would not have made it this far without the vast support from the rest of the crew, so my thanks goes out to everyone on our crew for this historical achievement!”

Patrick DeVaney, PostVis Coordinator, added, “I am so proud of my fellow union members for all their hard work through which we have achieved this contract. No VFX worker is a stranger to hard work, but the kind of work that goes into unionizing your workplace is different. While we are used to pouring our blood and sweat into our work, unionizing requires something more: our courage. It takes an incredible amount of courage to stand up to management who will always seek to devalue labor in the pursuit of profit margins and your own coworkers who have labored for so long as a part of a non-unionized workforce that they were convinced unionizing would be impossible.

“That courage has been contagious and we see it spreading every time someone adds the union logo to their profile picture, puts on a union T-shirt, or wears a union button. Negotiating is a long and arduous process that seeks to rob you of your strength and resolve but looking at my slack in breaks during negotiation meetings and seeing all of my coworkers showing their support with our union emojis restored that strength by an order of magnitude. I am humbled by the courage of this union that I am very proud to have served. This is not just a victory for our unit, but for all of the VFX industry because they now see that it is possible to achieve the seat at the table, the respect, and the more equitable payment and benefits that have been denied us for so long. Today is a new day for all VFX workers — Avatar is just the tip of the iceberg.”