Cartoon Network and Warner Bros. Animation production staff move to unionize

Production staff at Cartoon Network and Warner Bros. Animation are moving to unionize, with workers at the Warner Bros. Discovery subsidiaries banding together to begin collective bargaining.

The Hollywood Reporter reports that a group of 88 employees across both studios filed a joint petition to the National Labor Relations Board on Wednesday, requesting that a union election be held. The fledgling union consists of 66 employees at Warner Bros. Animation and 22 at Cartoon Network, and includes production managers, production coordinators, and IT technicians. 

The group also asked management to voluntarily recognise their union, and are being assisted in their organisation efforts by animation workers union The Animation Guild.

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The staff involved in this unionisation effort have worked across numerous popular shows such as Harley Quinn, We Baby Bears, Teen Titans Go!, and Craig of the Creek, as well as upcoming titles including Batman: Caped Crusader and Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake. 

News of their organisation has been met with an outpouring of support, particularly from their colleagues.

"[A]nimation production workers deserve adequate compensation," tweeted former Warner Bros. Animation production staffer Andrew Guastaferro. Guastaferro claims to have worked on the unionisation campaign for four years. "We shouldn’t be taken advantage of because we enjoy our awesome coworkers, beloved IP, and cool projects. 

"So why unionize? Because Warner Bros is a legacy studio that had plenty of time to elevate conditions for their workers on their own and their workers are fed up with letting them choose when things get better for them. It’s just not happening."

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Cartoon Network and Warner Bros. Animation aren't the only animation studios whose production staff have been fighting to unionise. Walt Disney Animation Studios reportedly refused to recognise a bargaining unit of almost 80 producers earlier this year, wanting to hold out for a National Labor Relations Board election. A petition demanding the studio recognise the union has over 80,000 signatures at time of writing.

Unions have received significant media attention lately, particularly when it comes to the entertainment industry. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) are currently on simultaneous strikes, shutting down film and television production in Hollywood for as long as studio and streaming bosses refuse to grant them better pay, conditions, and compensation for their work.