Animation Workers And Studios Fail To Reach Deal After First Week Of Negotiations: “Disappointing But Not Surprising”

The first week of negotiations on a new three-year contract between animation workers, represented by The Animation Guild (TAG) IATSE Local 839, and studios, represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), concluded last Friday with no deal reached.

The negotiations started on Monday, August 12, with TAG sharing a presentation of the proposals they had submitted to the AMPTP. The proposals addressed issues facing the industry and workers including AI protections, improving streaming provisions, craft-specific issues, and job security. The producers then shared their proposals with the union’s bargaining team.

The two sides met throughout the week to review proposals, counter-proposals, and prepare appropriate responses. By Thursday, August 15, it was clear that the two sides remained “far apart” on issues that were critical to animation workers.

The two sides will return to the negotiating table on September 16. The union acknowledged that the negotiations have “moved more slowly than anticipated” but said that “progress is being made.” The current TAG contract expired last Friday, but TAG’s Negotiations Committee voted to extend the contract through September 20, 2024, to allow for a second week of negotiation.

“We came to the negotiations with a list of concerns and changes prioritized by TAG members. It is disappointing, but not surprising, that we could not get meaningful responses back for all the issues we shared in the first week,” TAG business representative Steve Kaplan said in a statement. “The Negotiations Committee looks forward to resuming our discussions in September when we expect the AMPTP will provide substantive responses and be prepared to make the necessary changes animation workers are asking for.”

The AMPTP has not released a statement on the negotiations.