In a sign of support for the union’s latest contract and growth, Jeanette Moreno King has been re-elected president of The Animation Guild, the IATSE Local announced on Monday.
Steve Kaplan was also re-elected business representative and Paula Spence was reappointed recording secretary in TAG’s latest Guild Officers and Executive Board election. Teri Hendrich Cusumano was elected vice president and Danny Ducker was selected as sergeant-at-arms. After voting opened on Oct. 24 for TAG members, ballots were counted and certified on Saturday, with the process supervised by the AAA.
“We accomplished much during the last three years — organizing production staff, expanding to a national union, big gains in our last contract negotiations, and all during a pandemic and social and political unrest,” Moreno King said in a statement on Monday. “The fact that I get to keep representing this amazing community for another three year term with an Executive Board that is 75% women is a career high. I am looking forward to continuing the fight for respect for all animation workers.”
Eleven union members were elected to the union’s executive board, including story artist Carrie Liao, supervising director Ashley Long, visual development artist Roger Oda, animation writer and EP Mairghread Scott, lead look development artist Candice Stephenson, storyboard artist Alex Quintas, writer and producer Madison Bateman, general technical director Brandon Jarratt, animator Justin Weber, background painter Erica Smith and storybvoard artist Marissa Bernstel. After having received the most votes, Liao, Long and Oda were designated as Trustees of TAG.
The newly elected officers and executive board members will begin their three-year terms on Dec. 6.
The Animation Guild has been aggressively organizing production workers as well as animation workers on the East Coast in 2022, expanding the union’s traditional purview. After moving outside of L.A. County for the first time with the unionization of Titmouse New York early in the year, the Guild launched an organizing push at East Coast-based Stephen Colbert Presents Tooning Out the News in September.
This past spring, the union ratified a new three-year contract with studios and streamers after many months of negotiations, during which times members spoke out about a number of labor issues. The new contract saw 3 percent compounded annual wage increases, with larger pay bumps for color designers and more senior writers. The agreement also facilitated a means for their members to negotiate for remote work.
In his statement about the election, Kaplan said, “The election results show the membership stands behind the work that we have put into growing the footprint, and therefore the strength, of the Local. I welcome the new Executive Board members in their leadership positions, and I look forward to working with them towards continuing the work of organizing the animation industry.”