The Animation Guild Looks To Unionize Production Crew To Help With Fair Wages Thanks To 'Rick And Morty.'
Who knew how many underappreciated creatives there were in the animation industry? Beginning with voice actor John DiMaggio's decision to not return as Bender in the Futurama return on Hulu, his most popular character, because of parent companies not wanting to negotiate to increase the wages of actors who made the show a hit. Now the production workers from Rick and Morty, who also work on Hulu's Solar Opposites, have decided to try something similar.
The production crew, which includes production managers, production supervisors, design assistants, casting assistants, storyboard coordinators, office production coordinators, as well as assistants, have filed to become a part of The Animation Guild ( TAG). The Guild elaborated upon the situation,
"This move follows a request by a super majority of the workers last week to be voluntarily recognized. Attorneys representing both production companies responded to this request by contacting TAG and stating that the productions' parent studios, Adult Swim and 20th Century Fox, were not willing to voluntarily recognize the entire unit as was proposed by The Animation Guild."
Several of the production workers, including Solar Opposites production manager Kallan Zimmerman, backs this sentiment with an explanation of why a move like this is so important to those in the industry,
"Production workers are the heart of the animation industry and have been underappreciated and undercompensated for far too long. It's time for us to have a seat at the table alongside our artist colleagues."
A partition has been filed by the Guild to vote on the decision. As well they should. Far too often it is the workers you don't see, hear about, or even wait through the credits in order to appreciate the job being done. Yes, the voice talent, artists, and writers get the praise because they are the main creatives, but it takes a village to get the job done. These are the workers who prep, plan, and assist in order to churn out our endless seemingly endless array of entertainment, which has become increasingly fast tracked in the advent of bingeable streaming services.
If we have learned anything throughout the past couple of years, fair wages and health care is not so much to ask in any industry.
