After VFX artists in charge of Marvel Studios movies pointed out bad labor codes by the company last year, members from all over the world are ready to get together and form their own Hollywood union to prevent these conflicts from continuing.
A recent report from Vulture revealed that the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Workers associated with VFX artists examined their payment rate, working conditions, and long-term sustainability. According to Ben Speight, an organizer of the Animation Guild and advocate for VFX unionization, the results of the study were scandalous:
“Overwhelming… with the right strategy led by VFX workers themselves, in the next year, there could be an opportunity for a group to move forward, be successful, and establish their first union”.
The report also pointed out that Marvel artists were paid 20% less than the ones working in other studios. The magazine spoke to VFX artist Mark Patch, who was approached by the studio to work on a tv show. Besides the low payment, Patch didn’t like other conditions imposed by the company, such as the impossibility of talking about anything related to the job he was doing and for whom. Additionally, the working hours and the deadlines were extreme, which didn’t help the situation.
