2023-09-10 08:31:19
After the screenwriters and actors, it is those responsible for special effects and employees in the video game world who might seek to promote their interests to large groups.
Faced with increasingly rapid pace, the little-known engineers and artists who make superheroes fly and lightsabers shine are turning to unions to demand better working conditions.
This trend, in the United States and Canada, began in 2022 at an independent studio and has gained momentum this year, as Hollywood writers and actors are engaged in a historic strike, supported by their unions.
Because the demand for content is exploding, both from video game publishers and streaming platforms which are struggling to retain their subscribers and attract new ones.
First initiatives
Special effects workers at Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Pictures have expressed interest in unionizing, according to organizations representing behind-the-scenes workers in the entertainment industry.
A group of Marvel employees might become the first team of its kind within a major studio to do so. The US federal labor law agency is due to count their votes on Tuesday.
The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) considers this initiative a major change for a profession that has remained largely non-union since special effects took on a new dimension with Star Wars in the 1970s. special effects at Walt Disney must vote in September whether to unionize or not.
“We need meal breaks”
“We are seeing an unprecedented wave of solidarity that is breaking down old barriers in the industry and proving that we are all in this together,” said Matthew Loeb, IATSE International President.
“Entertainment workers everywhere are standing up for the rights of their colleagues, that’s what this is regarding,” he added.
Competition between streaming titans Netflix, Amazon, Apple and Disney has increased demand for films and series, almost all of which now require special effects, Mark Patch of IATSE told AFP.
“Without special effects, you wouldn’t have lightsabers, you wouldn’t have Avengers flying around,” he points out. “We love this job, but we need meal breaks and health coverage, and we need to be paid for overtime, etc.,” he explains.
It’s common, he says, for workers in the special effects industry to work days longer than 15 hours, even sleeping under their desks when they have to meet tight production deadlines.
The video games sector follows suit
This speech echoes that of employees of video game publishers. According to Chrissy Fellmeth, IATSE international representative, their salaries and benefits have stagnated while the industry is a multibillion-dollar industry and the speed of game releases has accelerated with high demand for updates.
And because titles are released too quickly, studio employees then have to scramble to correct software errors. According to this trade unionist, video game developers generally stay for seven years before turning to other technological sectors.
“They tend to move on to greener pastures,” says Chrissy Fellmeth. “Even though they love working in this field, it turns out it’s way too difficult.”
Game studio Workinman Interactive in New York state, whose clients include Nintendo and Disney, began a unionization campaign in August, according to IATSE.
They would thus join a handful of video game studio unions, including the Game Workers Alliance Union, launched in early 2022 by quality assurance workers at Raven Software, owned by Activision Blizzard.
Snowball effect
“I’m very excited to see what the future holds for us now that we have the opportunity to have our voices heard and be respected as equals,” Cori Mori, junior developer at Workinman, said in a statement .
According to Chrissy Fellmeth, this wave of unionization is notably linked to the limits imposed by more and more studios on teleworking, forcing employees to live near offices in cities where living is expensive.
The current strike crippling Hollywood has also played a role, highlighting the power of workers if they unite. The writers launched their movement in May, followed by the actors in July. Their unions are demanding, among other things, better salaries and guarantees that artificial intelligence will not steal their jobs and income.
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