Visual FX Digital Artists Guild

Over at The Editors Guild, they have a really great set of articles on how to organize you place of work. While I like the idea of VFX Artists getting together to hash things out on the interwebtubeblognets, it really does come down to boots on the ground at individual facilities. Nobody is going to come down off the proverbial mountain, wave their hand, tell Number One to Make It So and get me an Earl Grey, hot, while you are at it. It’s easy to sit here on a blog and suggest that “someone organize the VFX industy labor pool” or write an “Open Letter to James Cameron” but without the workers getting together and voting to organize under federal labor laws it’s  probably not gonna happen. I really recommend heading over to The Editors Guild web site and read what they have to say. There’s all sorts of contact information and resources to help organize labor. Check it out! You don’t need a union to organize. A facility can self organize just by taking an internal vote. I did not know that!

The Editors Guild seems to have a lot of experience with post production which in some cases may be more applicable to VFX work than The Animation Guild, though I’m sure one could argue that case. Either way, the following links are interesting reads if you are so inclined.

Unionize Your Show

Start a Union

Join a Union

If you vote “yes”, please contact the web master or post something in the comments so we can continue the dialogue.

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Jeff Heusser sent a link to a very informative NY Times article about how the government is beginning to deal with employees misclassified as contractors. Check it out here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/18/business/18workers.html

There’s a great post on the Motiongrapher web site about the Question of the Freelancer’s Dilema.

“At issue seems to be a question of the classification of workers on company premises, who are usually under supervision and are not legally incorporated as a separate business entity. Many of us often work this way for various studios and have never had a problem before. Yet, many studios who have recently been audited are now seeking a layer of protection between them and the workers they routinely hire.”

Read more at the motiongrapher web site.

On The Animation Guild blog, Steve Hulett mentions the fxdag.org blog and offers words of both encouragement and caution. Check it out!

Follow this link to the post on The Animation Guild blog

What labor concerns do you have? Please comment. I’ll start things off with the followng list, in no specific order:

• Portability of job descriptions and duties across departmental lines
• Ability to work both in studio and on location.
• Agreements to ensure pay and safety for location work
• Agreements with IATSE & Cinematographer guilds to integrate FX location and stage work
• Setting a minimum pay scale with no caps
• Ensuring overtime pay structures
• Vacation Time
• Holiday Time
• Ensuring payment in a timely fashion
• Worker Classification Vis a Vis W-2 or 1099
• Holding the studios and facilities to the agreements made
• Monitoring and reconciling abusive work policies as reported by members
• Portable health insurance
• Pensions (Vested and Un-vested)
• Portable 401K retirement account
• Health care in retirement
• Job Placement services
• Training

Additions picked up from the forums:

• Sick Time
• Credits