Jun 7, 2023

Titmouse New York becomes first non-LA studio to ratify contract with TAG Union

Titmouse New York became the first studio outside of Los Angeles to ratify a union contract with the Animation Guild.

“Harriet the Spy,” “Big Mouth,” “Goldie & Bear,” “Team Hot Wheels,” “Fairfax,” “T.O.T.S.,” “Superjail! and others, employees at the East Coast unit voted unanimously in favor of a new contract negotiated by union representatives and studio management on April 26. The Titmouse NY union covers 113 employees, including directors, storyboard artists, and 3D modelers.

Titmouse NY made history in January 2020 when 90% of the studio's employees voted in favor of joining TAG. They were the first group outside of L.A. to join, followed by the Tooning Out the News crew in New York and Powerhouse Animation Studios in Texas.

There have been animation unions in New York in the past. New York had a Motion Picture Screen Cartoonists (IATSE Local 841) from the 1940s until the 1980s, when it merged with the International Photographers of the Motion Picture Industry (Local (Local 644) until it merged with the International Photographers of the Motion Picture Industry (Local 644). Titmouse, however, was the first New York animation studio to be unionized in over 30 years.

Under the union contract, new wage scales were established for several positions, and wages increased across the board. Workers were also set minimum daily hours and overtime pay for working the sixth and seventh days of the workweek was stipulated. In addition, nine days of paid vacation became standard, in addition to 11 days of paid leave. There are also provisions for telecommuting opportunities, although on a case-by-case basis.

When NY workers voted to unionize in 2020, Titmouse founder and president Chris Pryonski cheered them on in a tweet:

We are proud of the NY Titmouse artists and support them as they move into the future together! After voluntarily endorsing the unit, we look forward to the opportunity to work with IATSE to discuss an initial agreement for NY-based employees.

After the ratification vote, organizing committee member Dan Pinto commented:

I am incredibly proud of our union for voting in favor of ratifying the contract. The fact that the vote was unanimous makes this historic achievement all the more important. This is a huge victory for our studio, for the New York animation scene, and for animation and production workers across the country. This is just the beginning."

Steve Kaplan, TAG's business representative, added: ”The Titmouse NY crew is the first of many animation studios that will find crews interested in sharing such a decision.