A group of US visual effects workers involved in Star Wars productions has joined the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) to seek collective bargaining rights, states Variety.
The new bargaining unit represents US-based VFX workers who have contributed to projects including The Mandalorian & Grogu, Ahsoka and Starfighter.
The workers overwhelmingly voted in favour of joining the union and will now begin negotiations with their employer for their first contract.
IATSE International President Matthew D. Loeb welcomed the new members, saying visual effects professionals play an important role in bringing major entertainment projects to life.
“These workers help bring some of the most ambitious stories in entertainment to life, and they deserve a meaningful voice in shaping their working conditions,” Loeb said.
Visual effects workers have become essential to modern film and television production, creating digital worlds, characters and experiences for audiences worldwide.
As the industry continues to expand, many VFX professionals have pushed for stronger workplace protections, better benefits and collective bargaining rights.
The move follows several recent unionisation efforts across the visual effects industry.
Last year, VFX workers on Avatar, along with teams working for Marvel and Disney, secured their first labour contracts.
Those agreements included union protections such as overtime pay, access to the Motion Picture Industry Pension and Health Plan, meal penalties, rest periods and turnaround time guarantees.
The Disney and Marvel agreement also included pay increases of 4% in the first year and 3.5% in the second year.
Meanwhile, VFX workers at Apple Studios voted unanimously to organise with IATSE, while employees at Canadian visual effects company DNEG also formed unions in 2023 and 2024.
The latest move marks another step in the growing push among visual effects professionals to gain stronger representation within the entertainment industry.
