Two years ago, VFX artists across Marvel, the Avatar franchise, and Disney all seperately voted to form their own unions. With the help of the IATSE, the three worker groups have now “overwhelmingly” voted to ratify contracts which ensure better conditions for staff working on these respective projects.
Both contracts—Marvel and Disney fall under one agreement, and Avatar team Lightstorm has its own—offer minimum wage increases and access to IATSE’s pension plans and meal penalties. In terms of differences, Lightstorm’s contract guarantees preferential hiring rights on future Avatar films for current bargaining employees (and without a pay loss), new wage scale rates based on a 40-hour work week for those future films, and minimum call rates for the sixth and seventh days of work. This contract also has “protections against technological change and subcontracting” and AI-related language adopted from IATSE’s Basic Agreement.
Marvel and Disney’s specific contract ensures extra pay for “hazardous set conditions, and health and comfort during long postproduction assignments,” plus job descriptions for each role and legally binding agreements “enforced through a grievance and arbitration procedure.” Cael Liakos-Gilbert, a VFX wrangler for Marvel, considers the ratified contract “not just a victory for [us], but a much-needed win for the entire VFX industry. Seeing this come together after over two years as an organizer, contract negotiator, and now a founding union member is one of the proudest moments of my life. […] We’ve put ink to paper and given our people the contract we deserve.”
“Just one more way our crew is leading the industry, and I deeply hope that other VFX crews will follow with us and vote to Unionize,” added Lightstorm’s virtual camera coordinator Justin Meade. “Our power is in our labor, and our voices are heard through our solidarity, and now the Avatar crew will all have the chance at an equitable life working in one of our country’s best industries.”
VFX artists first started unionizing after reports in 2022 alleged intense crunch for VFX-heavy projects, with Marvel and Disney the worst offenders. These contracts will last four (Marvel/Disney) and three (Avatar) respectively, and they’re a long time coming.
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