Netflix Animation Studios feature production workers have voted to ratify their first union contract with The Animation Guild (IATSE Local 839), with 89% supporting the agreement. The contract marks a significant milestone for animation labor organizing and establishes wage minimums, dismissal pay, and workplace protections for production workers at the studio.
The vote follows a multi-year organizing effort that began in August 2023. Workers won union recognition in a National Labor Relations Board election on Dec. 30, 2025, paving the way for bargaining with Netflix. Union leaders said the agreement reflects progress built by earlier organizing efforts across the animation industry and sets a new benchmark for production assistant compensation under TAG agreements.
TAG organizer Allison Smartt said the NAS contract includes the highest Production Assistant rates in any TAG production agreement to date. She said the outcome would not have been possible without workers standing together throughout the campaign. TAG assistant business representative Chaz Carroll said the bargaining committee felt heard by Netflix during negotiations and left the table with the best deal possible after the company addressed the unit’s priorities.
The ratification comes amid broader union activity across animation and adjacent production teams. In January, remote workers at DreamWorks Animation, feature production workers at Netflix Animation Studios, and production workers on the series “Ted” voted to unionize with The Animation Guild and the Editors Guild (IATSE Local 700). Those efforts were aimed at improving pay, treatment, and workplace conditions for workers across the industry.
Netflix Animation Studios has recently released or worked on projects including “In Your Dreams,” “The Twits,” and “Ultraman: Rising,” underscoring the studio’s continued presence in animated feature production.
The contract vote is being viewed as an important step for animation workers seeking stronger labor standards in a fast-changing industry. By securing a first agreement, the Netflix Animation Studios production unit has established formal protections and pay floors that could influence future negotiations elsewhere in the field.
