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The Local • Spring 2021

Common Ground

TAG’s “better together” ethos is enriched by its many volunteer-run committees.

Members of the Color Designers Committee show their support for their #ColorIsDesign initiative.

A union’s strength is in its members, and one of the great strengths of The Animation Guild is its member-run committees. Reinvigorated in 2017, this all-volunteer system now boasts more than 18 groups and committees. Each focuses on particular needs within the union’s larger oversight of a variety of complex jobs.

On a fundamental level, the benefit of such specialized committees is that “members are the ones who are on the ground, working within the studios,” says Teri Hendrich Cusumano, Co-Chair of the Color Designers Committee. “Members are positioned to be their own best advocates.”

TAG Committees at a Glance

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TAG Committees at a Glance

CRAFT COMMITTEES

Animators Committee: Fosters community, collects data, defines job classifications, and educates to promote the growth of in-house animator job.

CG Committee: Identifies and addresses issues affecting CG artists, expands skill sets through training, and builds up a network to provide resources and support to CG artists.

Color Designers Committee: Brings recognition and visibility to the craft while also highlighting and addressing issues of pay equity.

Designers Committee: Informs, educates, and tracks industry standards while connecting the design community and providing a space for sharing workplace issues and experiences.

Storyboard Committee: Facilitates a community of events, resources, and channels of communication to best represent the storyboarding craft in negotiations.

Writers Committee: Connects and represents writers while offering online networking, job resources, and advocacy for the enforcement of rules for writers’ pay.

COMMUNITY COMMITTEES

Experienced Workers Committee: Provides support, networking opportunities, and the exploration of best practices for experienced workers for seeking and maintaining employment.

Family and Membership Committee (FAM): Fosters community, outreach, advocacy, and member activism while also providing resources for member and family wellness.

Memorial Committee: Organizes and hosts the annual Afternoon of Remembrance, honoring individuals in the animation industry who passed away the previous year.

People of Color Committee (POCC): Supports ethnic minority TAG members and addresses systems of race and class through outreach, activism, and initiatives.

Queer TAG Committee (QT): Fosters community, spreads visibility, and addresses LGBTQIA+ issues to promote security.

Young Workers Committee: Fosters a positive relationship and stimulates engagement with newer members through social events.

ADVOCACY COMMITTEES

Political Action League: Supports the IATSE PAC fund and educates members regarding political activities and legislation that affect TAG, members, benefits, and compensation.

Testing Committee: Addresses the issue of excessive and unpaid skills evaluations commonly known as “testing” with the intention of dismantling this industry norm.

Workplace Equality Committee: Supports fair and equal treatment, and works to combat discrimination, harassment, and hostility in the workplace.

ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITTEES

Communications Committee: Facilitates and works to improve communication, within TAG and with the broader public, with the purpose of supporting the goals, objectives, and initiatives of TAG and its members.

Constitution Committee: Examines TAG’s Constitution and by-laws to ensure TAG’s governing documents are inclusive and uphold and support TAG’s mission.

Worker Action Readiness Planning (WARP): Supports the Negotiations Committee by researching and planning timelines and toolkits for potential action, and by building solidarity and engagement within TAG membership.

But the committees also offer so much more. They are safe spaces for difficult discussions, as Writers Committee Co-Chair Patrick Rieger notes, “It’s nice to know that if I have an issue … I’ll be explaining it to a group of working writers with an in-depth knowledge of my craft.” And the committees provide a variety of personal and career support. The Family and Membership (FAM) Committee has a caregiver support group, for example, and there are programs like the Storyboard Committee’s Supervising School, which the committee’s Co-Chair Jake Hollander says is designed “to bridge the gap between supervisor and board artists and revisionists.” 

As for the volunteer aspect, Co-Chair of the Queer TAG Committee, Andy Garner-Flexner says, “It can be difficult to volunteer your time and energy into free labor, but it’s vital that members are running these committees to give appropriate voice to our cause and mission statement.”

While it can be daunting to consider heading up a committee, it’s important to remember that the committee chairs aren’t necessarily experienced leaders. “For a long time, I held myself back from volunteering with 839 because I thought someone more qualified should/would do it,” says Mairghread Scott, Chair of the Writers Committee. “[But] I kept hearing from writers that they didn’t know how to make their concerns known and wanted more of a voice in the Guild. [What I discovered is that] I didn’t have to be the perfect writer or leader. Together, we’re the perfect leader. That’s what unions are all about.”

FAM Committee members gathered for a holiday social.

Committees come about in a variety of ways, and in the case of the Queer TAG Committee, more than one person initiated it when they saw a need to be met. Nora Meek, who now Co-Chairs the Young Workers Committee, says, “A lot of it was seeing firsthand as a queer animator that the animation industry has a queer community, but … it was difficult for us to connect.” Meek expressed her desire to head up a pride committee and discovered that two other TAG members, Garner-Flexner and Derek LaMastus, had done the same. “We made contact and gathered anyone and everyone who might be interested in heading up such a group, met for lunch, and Queer TAG was born!”

For the FAM Committee, Co-Chair Kristin Donner says, “We first became aware of this need through our involvement with the Negotiations Committee … As we crafted a proposal for paid leave, we asked Guild members to share their experiences with family leave, sick days, and bereavement. We discovered that some working parents and caregivers felt excluded, unprotected, or even discriminated against.”

Existing committees also inspire the development of new committees. Regarding the origins of the People of Color Committee (POCC), Co-Chair Roger Oda explains, “Issues involving racial minorities is a part of my life that I am passionate about but have always kept apart from the Guild. Honestly, it was only in the last few years and after seeing activity from our amazing Queer TAG, FAM, and Color Designers committees that I considered it. It would at first seem that equal rights and representation is a natural partner to organized labor, but that is not always the history of our industry. I wanted to be a part of making future generations feel like they have a place here.”

Members of the Animators Committee.
FAM Committee members gathered for a holiday social.

Each committee works hard on its own goals, such as making sure writers get paid for pitching on pre-existing IP (Writers Committee) and building representation and addressing bathroom situations at studios (Queer TAG). They also get results. Members of the FAM Committee drafted successful resolutions for the last two IATSE District 2 Conventions. And through its 2018 #ColorIsDesign campaign, the Color Designers Committee negotiated the same above-scale rate for color designers as their background paint colleagues on Season 5 of Rick and Morty. 

With the pandemic, committees have become even more valuable, adapting their methods of support and resources, from the FAM Committee’s virtual parent hangouts to Queer TAG’s Discord group. While each committee might seem as though it’s an entity unto itself, together they meet a greater collective need. As Oda says, “There are complicated discussions to be had if we want to really work through differences and have true solidarity. There are different forces in business and politics, but much of the work is amongst ourselves.”

All TAG members are encouraged to join committees or start new ones. Learn more about TAG committees and how to start a committee on the TAG website.

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Tags: Andy Garner-Flexner • Committees • Derek LaMastus • Jake Hollander • Kristin Donner • Mairghread Scott • Nora Meek • Patrick Rieger • Roger Oda • Teri Hendrich Cusumano • The Local

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