Visual effects workers at Saturday Night Live are now officially operating under a union contract.
The 15-member group voted unanimously in July to ratify its first union contract since organizing with IATSE in October, the union announced on Monday.
Among the provisions in the contract are established minimum wage scales, ongoing healthcare benefits, annuity contributions, “kill fees” for artists hired for projects canceled before completion, a “robust” grievance process, and critical AI and outsourcing protections.
“The VFX team is proud to be officially part of IATSE,” Hannah S. Kim, one of the lead organizers, said in a statement. “We are excited to join the large union presence at SNLand hope this inspires the rest of the VFX and animation industries across the country to follow suit. I personally am so happy to see my fellow artists be protected under a union, and look forward to the future of this team under a bargaining unit.”
Per IATSE, negotiations began in April. While initially “management did not provide sufficient dates to conclude negotiations before the season ended,” the two sides were eventually able to get a tentative deal together before Season 50 ended production in May.
VFX workers have made significant strides towards unionization with IATSE in recent months, including successfully winning first contracts at Marvel, Disney and Avatar.
