Cartoon Network and Warner Bros. Animation workers are organizing to form a union

A group of Cartoon Network and Warner Bros. Animation production workers — the staff of different managers, assistants, IT specialists, and coordinators who play vital roles in bringing the studios’ projects to fruition — have announced their intention to form a union with The Animation Guild.

In a statement about the ongoing unionization effort, Warner Bros. Animation production manager Hannah Ferenc explained that, while the staffers trying to form a union are not artists or writers, their skills are highly specialized, and their contributions to the overall production process are an integral part of how these shows end up on people’s screens. Ferenc also stressed that the unionization efforts aren’t just for current workers; they’re for any and all of the future staffers who might join the shows down the line.

“Having lived through the existing state of the animation industry for the past seven years, I want to make sure that not only our current workers, but all those who choose to join us in the future, can feel secure in following their passion by earning livable wages and being treated with the dignity and respect they deserve,” Ferenc said.

Along with a desire for more substantial wages across the board and overtime pay benefits for production managers, the push to unionize within Cartoon Network and Warner Bros. Animation was partially spurred on by Warner Bros. Discovery’s move to consolidate the development and production resources of the two brands last October.