Floyd County Productions Workers Make Case For Union In Animated Film

To rally support for their efforts to unionize, workers at Georgia’s Floyd County Productions have turned to what united them in the first place: animation.

The nascent Floyd County Productions Guild has released an animated music video that makes the case for a union. “Solidarity forever,” sings a choir, in a playful twist on the “Glory, glory, hallelujah!” refrain from “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” before the singer enumerates the workers’ goals including sick days and holidays, a comprehensive harassment plan, an end to at-will employment. The video ends with a plea to management to recognize the union.

The short film was created in a month by a team of 20–30 volunteers. Everyone involved — the singers included — is based at Floyd County, which produces FXX’s Emmy-winning series Archer. Watch the video below:

Workers at Floyd County, the largest animation studio in Georgia, launched their guild last month as part of the Communications Workers of America (CWA), the vast 450,000-member communications and media union. All non-management workers at the Atlanta-based studio will be able to take up union membership. The guild encompasses artists, animators, IT workers, editors, systems engineers, background artists, layout artists, and more.

In early March, people familiar with the organizing efforts told Cartoon Brew that, of the 150 eligible workers, around 100 had expressed interest, with more than 80 signing a request for representation.

While the L.A. animation industry is represented by IATSE’s The Animation Guild, Local 839, workers in the rest of the United States are not currently unionized.