Feature production workers at Netflix Animation Studios have formally voted to ratify their first union contract with the Animation Guild (IATSE Local 839), with an overwhelming 89% voting in favor of ratification.
The first contract with the guild, which established minimum wages, severance pay, and workplace protections for production workers, represented a seminal moment in animation. The organizing drive began in August 2023, and the unit won union recognition during the National Labor Relations Board election on December 30, 2025.
“Every production group we negotiate builds on the foundation of the production group before us, and the NAS production deal is a clear example of that,” TAG organizer Alison Smart said in a statement. “NAS workers have the highest production assistant rates of any TAG production contract. Just five years after organizing the first group of animation production workers, these rates set the highest bar ever. None of this would have happened without workers coming together to fight.”
Chaz Carroll, TAG’s assistant business representative, added in a statement: “Most importantly, the negotiating committee walked away from the table feeling the emotions they heard from Netflix. Did they get everything they wanted? No, but they got the best deal possible and didn’t leave the table until Netflix addressed the department’s priorities.”
The news comes after remote workers at DreamWorks Animation, feature production workers at Netflix Animation Studios, and production workers on the show “Ted” voted to unionize with the Animation and Editors Union (IATSE Local 700) back in January. The goal was to ensure fair wages and treatment for animation workers.
Netflix Animation Studios’ recent works include “In Your Dreams,” “The Twits,” and “Ultraman: Rising.”
