Michael Buckner/PMC Share on Facebook Share on X Share to Flipboard Send an Email Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Print the Article Post a Comment The Animation Guild has launched an ambitious attempt to unionize feature production workers at Netflix Animation Studios as part of its broader effort to expand its reach inside the animation production space. On Wednesday, a group of 60 workers requested voluntary recognition of a union from management, according to The Animation Guild. The group is attempting to bring an array of production workers - from production assistants to production supervisors to script coordinators - under the tent. The group has worked on titles including the streamer's upcoming projects based on Roald Dahl's works and 2023's Leo. Related Stories Business Writers Guild to Members: Work on "Verticals" Can Be Union, Too TV Victoria Beckham Gets Emotional Over Forging a Path in Fashion in Netflix Docuseries Trailer In a statement, Netflix production coordinator Ana Tessier said that these workers "deserve the same protections as artists - we deserve to fight for sustainable careers." The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to Netflix for comment. The guild simultaneously announced on Wednesday that it is attempting to organize the NBCUniversal series Ted, the Peacock continuation of Seth MacFarlane's franchise. A group of 12 production workers on the production have requested voluntary recognition to join both the Animation Guild and the Editors Guild, a separate Local of the same umbrella union, IATSE. Ted production coordinator Kelly Simmons nodded in a statement to the Animation Guild's aggressive unionization of animation production workers in recent years. She added, "We've been hard at work the last two months trying to get this show on the road and it's incredible to see what we've accomplished in such a short amount of time." THR has reached out to NBCUniversal for comment. The union has been pushing into production roles ever since 2022 in an attempt to grow the labor group's size and leverage. That effort became perhaps even more timely as generative AI tools developed quickly in ensuing years and now appear poised to disrupt the animation space. But the union also continues to organize animation artists and technicians. On Wednesday, the union revealed that artists, writers and technicians at the Burbank-based studio SpindleHorse requested and received voluntary recognition to join the Animation Guild on Tuesday. The move will add 106 new members, who have worked on shows including Amazon Prime's Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss, to the Animation Guild's ranks. THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day Subscribe Sign Up Amazon MGM Studios Vernon Sanders Exits as Head of TV for Amazon MGM Studios Writers Guild of America Writers Guild to Members: Work on "Verticals" Can Be Union, Too Theater Broadway Tax Credit Gets One-Month Reprieve streaming Scholastic's 9 Story Media Launches AVOD Service for Kids and Families THR, Esq Disney, Warner Bros., Universal Pictures Sue Chinese AI Company in Escalation of Copyright Battle THR, Esq Ex-'Love Is Blind' Contestant Files Class Action Over Inhumane Working Conditions on Reality Shows Amazon MGM Studios Vernon Sanders Exits as Head of TV for Amazon MGM Studios Writers Guild of America Writers Guild to Members: Work on "Verticals" Can Be Union, Too Theater Broadway Tax Credit Gets One-Month Reprieve streaming Scholastic's 9 Story Media Launches AVOD Service for Kids and Families THR, Esq Disney, Warner Bros., Universal Pictures Sue Chinese AI Company in Escalation of Copyright Battle THR, Esq Ex-'Love Is Blind' Contestant Files Class Action Over Inhumane Working Conditions on Reality Shows
The Hollywood Reporter
Netflix Animation Studios and 'Ted' Series Production Workers Launch Unionization Drives
September 18, 2025
3 months ago
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