The pandemic impacted the way we work as an industry and made remote work an option for many animation workers. The scope of our agreement is written so that people who are hired in Los Angeles are covered by the contract terms. When faced with an opportunity to move out of state and work remotely, animation workers have been told that it was outside the scope of the agreement, and they would no longer be considered union hires. Addressing this issue was not a mandatory subject of bargaining, and the employers did not want to take it into consideration when bargaining. However, the Negotiations Committee stood firm in order to create a pathway to union-covered remote work outside of L.A. County.
Under the new agreement, we confirmed that anyone who is hired when in Los Angeles can work outside of the county and state if the employer agrees to allow remote work. Why is this important? Previously, MPI was cited as the reason employers could not classify someone out of L.A. County as a Union employee. This barrier no longer exists, and members can use their individual leverage to negotiate Union coverage out of state.
Furthermore, the employers agreed that people that have been working remotely outside the state can continue to do so and be covered by the agreement under specific circumstances.