LOS ANGELES, January 7, 2026
Animation Workers Score Union Wins at Netflix, DreamWorks, NBCUniversal
Table of Contents
Recent votes signal growing momentum for labor organization within the animation industry as Hollywood braces for upcoming contract negotiations.
- Animation Guild (IATSE Local 839) membership is poised to grow by over 100 workers.
- Employees at Netflix, DreamWorks Animation, and NBCUniversal’s “Ted” series have all voted to unionize.
- The votes reflect a broader trend of animation workers seeking better wages, benefits, and working conditions.
- Danny Lin, recently elected president of the Animation Guild, has pledged to continue organizing efforts.
As Hollywood prepares for potentially sweeping labor negotiations in the coming months, animation workers are making significant strides toward unionization. In the past few weeks, employees at Netflix Animation Studios, DreamWorks Animation, and NBCUniversal’s “Ted” series have all voted to join the Animation Guild, also known as IATSE Local 839. This surge in organizing activity underscores a growing demand for improved conditions within the industry.
Netflix and ‘Ted’ Workers Vote Unanimously to Unionize
Employees on the “Ted” series and the feature production team at Netflix Animation cast their ballots in December, with overwhelmingly positive results. The vote among “Ted” staff, which also included a move to join the Editors Guild, was unanimous on December 23. Netflix Animation’s feature production team followed on December 30, voting 44-13 in favor of unionization.
DreamWorks Animation Remote Workers Join the Guild
The momentum continued at DreamWorks Animation, where eligible remote workers voted 52-10 on December 23 to join the Animation Guild. This follows the studio’s production workers overwhelmingly ratifying their first union contract in September. The National Labor Relations Board oversaw all of these elections, which will expand the approximately 6,000-strong Animation Guild by over 100 members.
A New Era of Organizing
“We are continuing to expand our jurisdiction both inside and outside the scope of our Master Agreement as we continue to look forward to protecting the rights of all animation workers regardless of zip code,” said Steve Kaplan, the Guild’s longtime Business Rep. These votes and certifications reflect the “we will continue to organize, to fight, and to win” approach of Danny Lin, who was elected head of IATSE Local 839 in an unopposed race in early November.
