A group of visual effects artists who work on the Avatar movies have voted to unionize. Fifty-seven out of 88 eligible VFX workers at TCF US Productions 27 (a Walt Disney Studios subsidiary) voted in favor of the union in a National Labor Relations Board election. Nineteen workers voted against the effort and two ballots were void.
TCF US Productions 27 is not the main VFX house that works on the Avatar series. That would be Weta FX, which employs most of the 1,000-plus people who work on those projects. But an industry source pointed out to The Hollywood Reporter that the bargaining unit is notable, since that’s “the core team that answers to Jim Cameron,” the creator and director of the movies. “They are not necessarily impressive in size, but in influence.”
Barring objections from management and labor being taken up, the workers will join the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). They’ll follow VFX artists from Marvel and Walt Disney Studios (both of which voted unanimously to unionize) in organizing with IATSE. Workers from VFX house DNEG in British Columbia have joined the union too.
