Posted in: Movies, streaming, TV | Tagged: amptp, animation, the animation guild

Animation Guild, AMPTP Deal Extended to Dec. 2nd; Nov. 18th Talks Set

The Animation Guild and AMPTP have extended the current labor deal until December 2nd, with talks resuming on November 18th.

Having returned to negotiating on Monday and Tuesday of this week, The Animation Guild (TAG – IATSE Local 839) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) announced that the current Master Agreement contract has been extended from November 1st to December 2nd. "Based on our recent discussions, we are hopeful that the studios are willing to provide us with the movement necessary to reach an agreement, and we look forward to meeting with them again in November," shared union business representative and chief negotiator Steve Kaplan in a statement, with both sides set to resume talks on November 18th. According to the union, important key issues such as guardrails/restrictions on artificial intelligence (AI) and staffing minimums/job security were addressed during this week's talks.

Here's a look back at what TAG had to share last week, as hundreds of members made their way to Netflix's headquarters in Los Angeles to deliver the streamer a petition demanding that the AMPTP finally do right by the animation industry and give these creators the fair deal that they deserve:

The negotiations are considered to be even more pivotal to the members of the union than ever – coming at a time when the animation industry continues to pay the price for studios and streamers making some really bad decisions in the midst of "The Great Streaming Wars" – all in the name of wanting to be (and beat) Netflix. What makes this situation even worse is that the same animation industry that's currently fighting for its very survival is the same animation industry that stepped up to help out the studios and streamers when the industry ground to a halt from a global pandemic.

Then there is the all-too-real danger posed by Generative Artificial Intelligence (or Gen AI), which not only eliminates the human creative aspect of the art but could also prove devastating to the number of current creative jobs. On their website, TAG notes that an impact study conducted in conjunction with CAA and CVL Economics showed that without proper checks & balances and guardrails in place, 29% of animation industry jobs could potentially be disrupted over the course of the next three years.

In terms of job loss/unemployment rates within the animation industry, show cancellations/write-offs have, "Through anecdotal research and internal surveys" done by TAG, resulted in an estimated "one-third of TAG's animation workforce" having been laid off over the past year. In addition to show cancellations/write-offs, union members are also facing the threat of outsourcing. What ends up happening is that LA County animation studios send out work to studios in Asia and Europe, and then those studios reach out to animation industry members in the U.S. to offer job opportunities – at a lower rate and without the benefits and protections that union members receive.

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