The Animation Guild reports that this morning, with a supermajority of worker support, animation workers at Powerhouse Animation Studios in Austin, Texas sent a letter to company leaders requesting voluntary recognition to join the Guild (IATSE Local 839). The organizing committee also filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board to hold an election to unionize, if necessary.
The move is a milestone in the union’s history, marking TAG’s first organizing campaign in a “right-to-work” state. It is also the Guild’s third organizing effort outside L.A. County — after successful efforts to unionize Titmouse and Late Night Cartoons in New York. As animation sees growth in states offering the industry the same film credits as live action, TAG asserts it will continue to work steadily to address workers’ rights in animation hubs across the U.S.
Founded by Frank Gabriel, Brad Graber and Bruce Tinnin in 2001, Powerhouse Animation Studios develops and produces traditional 2D animation, motion comics, motion graphics and more for series, film, video game cinematics, commercials, etc. Some of its best known projects include the critically acclaimed Castlevania series, which is getting a spin-off series Castlevania: Nocturne; Masters of the Universe: Revelation with Mattel, in-house original Seis Manos with VIZ and Greek myth fantasy-actioner Blood of Zeus (all for Netflix) as well as working on The Adventures of Kid Danger and Santiago of the Seas for Nickelodeon and OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes for Cartoon Network.
Modern right-to-work policies are built on the 1935 Wagner Act and the 1947 modifications of the Taft-Hartley Act, which outlawed the “closed shop” and obligated unions to provide their benefits to non-members. Proponents say these laws protect workers’ individual freedoms and limit the political and workplace power of unions. Opponents argue that state right-to-work laws are redundant to existing federal laws against forcing a person to join a union and give more leeway to large corporations to mistreat employees.
According to the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), right-to-work states originate 36% more discrimination charges to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and have a higher percentage of low-wage occupations than other states (24% of jobs versus 14.5% in 2019). Twenty-six U.S. states currently have right-to-work laws, although Michigan’s repeal is set to take effect next year.
