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Animation Guild Wins Big: Netflix & DreamWorks Staff Join
7 Jan
Summary
- Netflix Animation workers voted to unionize in late December.
- DreamWorks remote animation staff also joined the union recently.
- The union is pushing aggressive organizing despite industry challenges.
In a series of successful organizing drives concluded in late December 2025, The Animation Guild has significantly expanded its membership. Feature production workers at Netflix Animation Studios voted 44 to 13 in favor of joining the union in a National Labor Relations Board election. This followed a similar victory on December 23, where remote animation staffers at DreamWorks voted 52 to 10 to unionize, with over 70 U.S.-based employees eligible.
On the same day, a production team working on the NBCUniversal series *Ted* unanimously voted to join both The Animation Guild and The Editors Guild. All these union certifications were confirmed by the NLRB. These organizing efforts represent a proactive response to challenges posed by the entertainment industry's contraction and the increasing prevalence of generative AI technology.
The Animation Guild, based in Burbank and representing approximately 5,000 animation professionals, announced its organizing initiatives at Netflix, DreamWorks, and on the *Ted* series in September 2025. New union president Danny Lin has articulated a clear mission to organize and advocate for workers, with business representative Steve Kaplan emphasizing the union's commitment to expanding its reach and protecting animation workers nationwide, regardless of their location.
