Workers at Disney’s Traveling Lab Vote to Unionize With the Animation Guild

Animation workers at ‘s Traveling Lab have voted to unionize with in a move that continues to expand the union’s membership outside of the L.A. area. Out of nine ballots counted in a on Thursday, nine workers at the Lab — who live outside of L.A. County but work on Walt Disney Animation Studios projects — voted to join the subsidiary of crew union IATSE.

The bargaining unit includes roles such as writer, character technical director, lighting artist, story artist and animator and encompasses workers who have contributed to projects including the studio’s recent release If no objections are raised in the next few days, the results will be certified and the union and the employer can begin to negotiate a first contract.

“There’s a dual significance to this, despite the nominal numbers [of new union members] here,” says TAG organizer Ben Speight. “One, it opens up the prospect for artists and writers in L.A. to be able to have the mobility to leave L.A. County and retain their union membership, but also the prospect of those who have never been TAG members to attain the TAG L.A.

standard while staying in Atlanta or living on the East Coast or living in Chicago and working for an L.A. studio.” has reached out to Disney for comment. The bargaining unit includes both workers who were once Animation Guild members and lost their eligibility for union coverage some time after they relocated outside of L.A.

County and artists who have never before been TAG members. During Walt Disney Animation Studios’ latest with TAG, the union secured an that stated the employer could determine on a case by case basis whether employees who were hired in the L.A. area but relocated could continue to receive union coverage.

(Previously, union coverage under the agreement was restricted to those who resided in and around L.A. County.) According to the union, Disney opted not to extend union coverage to these employees who went remote, so TAG had to organize the group to get them and others covered under a contract. The organizing drive began as a result of opposition at the bargaining table to including remote Disney animation workers under the contract, says Speight.

As a result of its win in the NLRB vote, the union is arguing that it may be able to get these remote workers benefits that are comparable to those that their L.A. counterparts receive — depending on what is achieved in a first contract. “It’s something like I really do feel is going to be a gamechanger for the Animation Guild’s history and it is another indication of the Animation Guild exercising its national jurisdiction,” says Speight.

“We’re going to look at TAG 10 years from now and the workforce for the L.A. based studios are going to be national.” THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day More from The Hollywood Reporter.