VANCOUVER, BC – Animation workers at Kickstart Entertainment in Vancouver have become the third animation studio to join The Canadian Animation Guild IATSE Local 938. An application for certification was filed with the BC Labour Relations Board in December of last year and the results were released January 3, 2024.

Workers at Kickstart Entertainment are now the third animation studio in Canada to join IATSE, following WildBrain Animation Studio in the Fall of 2023 and Titmouse Animation Vancouver in 2021. “Momentum continues to grow as more animation workers are coming together to form unions across Canada,” said IATSE International Representative Jiaming Li. “It has been an inspiration to work with the workers at Kickstart as they come together to join the IATSE.”

As this wave of animation organizing continues, CAG 938 Secretary Eddy Pedreira added, “As more and more workers join the Guild, we are improving working conditions for the entire industry. We look forward to welcoming workers at Kickstart into the Canadian Animation Guild.”

Following the successful union certification, workers at Kickstart will now begin the democratic process of bargaining their first collective agreement. “Bargaining strong collective agreements is what we do best,” said IATSE International Vice President and Director of Canadian Affairs John Lewis. “We look forward to a fulsome bargaining process with this company.”

Animation workers looking for more information on how to improve their working conditions and form a union at their workplace in BC should contact CAG 938 Secretary Eddy Pedreira at secretary@cag938.ca.

Workers from other entertainment sectors anywhere in Canada, including animation workers outside of BC, should contact IATSE International Representative Jeremy Salter at jsalter@iatse.net.

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Krista Hurdon, IATSE International Representative
khurdon@iatse.net