The Animation Guild (IATSE Local 839) has announced that workers at Powerhouse Animation Studios in Austin, Texas have ratified their first contract since enrolling with TAG. This success marks another historic milestone, as Powerhouse employees became the first to organize with TAG in a right-to-work state last year. The studio voluntarily recognized the union shortly after. (The smaller Powerhouse L.A. team previously joined the Guild.)
The contract was voted on by 129 artists and production workers at the studio, with a supermajority (96%) in favor. Provisions of the deal cover wage equality, job security, retirement benefits and more.
“This is one of the strongest agreements we have been able to negotiate, and the crew’s resolve to their priority issues is the reason. I also want to acknowledge the work Powerhouse and its leadership team put in,” commented TAG Business Representative Steve Kaplan in a statement. “We all had to be flexible to get to the finish line, and they showed their commitment to being a productive partner with the Union in the negotiations. I look forward to welcoming our newest Texas-based members to Guild membership, and working with the studio to build on this strong agreement in the future.”
The good news comes as the Guild works to negotiate a new general contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers; initial talks concluded last month with TAG stating that the parties were still broadly divided on key issues, which include AI protections, outsourcing and staffing minimums for writers.
The Animation Guild extended beyond its traditional Hollywood purview first with Titmouse New York, which ratified their first contract in June 2023. The Guild is currently working with organizing workers at studios in Virginia (Whiteboard Geeks) and Puerto Rico (Gladius Studios).
The Animation Guild, also known as Local 839 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), was founded in 1952. As a labor union, TAG represent more than 5,000 artists, technicians and writers in the animation industry, advocating for workers to improve wages and conditions.
