With the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) united in a simultaneous production strike for the first time since 1960, animation writers, artists and performers are taking to social media to voice their support and echo complaints about their conditions that were brought to light during The Animation Guild’s #NewDeal4Animation campaign. After a long negotiations period with AMPTP, TAG (IATSE Local 839) ratified its 2021-2024 contract in July of 2022. Among the notable gains: writers got their own job classification and progression ladder. The WGA responded with a 400-signatory letter of support for toon scribes.
Despite these victories and a busy year of studio workers unionizing under TAG, the animation industry still has a steep climb to approach even the dissatisfactory compensation received by their live-action counterparts. While TAG members are not able to join the strike while under an active contract, workers are taking to social media to make animation a part of the conversation around compensation in media and entertainment.
A graphic being re-shared, originally posted by @TAGWriters in 2022 (after the contract ratification) for the #PayAnimationWriters campaign, points out that Animation Guild writers make as little as 47 cents to the dollar compared to live-action writers, seeing a per-week minimum increase of less than $500 to reach $2,520 p/w.
Animation writers, the fight is not over. If we want parity, we have to stay involved and stay loud. #PayAnimationWriters pic.twitter.com/V9yM6Sc6o8
— Animation Guild Writers (@TAGwriters) July 27, 2022
In a series of Tweets this weekend, writer and voice actor Spencer Rothbell (Clarence, Victor & Valentino, Big City Greens) pointed out several realities that are well known in Toon Town, but perhaps not recognized among the broader entertainment biz or audiences. Writing “WGA — everything you’re fighting for, TAG needs x 1000,” Rothwell notes that WGA writers get residuals for characters they have created, which TAG writers and storyboarders do not; that major studios churning out popular shows “butter their bread by exploiting young animators”; and, of course, that animation was a crucial support to the whole industry when COVID-19 shut down filming.
“They owe us big time and continue to act like animation is second tier, disposable kids fare instead of the skilled artform (and cash show for them!!) that it is,” Rothwell wrote. The impassioned thread also called on TAG workers to take inspiration from WGA and SAG and find empowerment in solidarity.
The hero we all need, Taggy. #SAGAFTRAstrong https://t.co/Zqjo4KoQYx
— Animation Guild Writers (@TAGwriters) July 15, 2023
[H/T The Mary Sue]
