2K's Californian Motion Capture Studio files for union election
"This is the first public union campaign at a mocap studio in history," says entertainment union IATSE
Employees of 2K Motion Capture Studio in Petaluma, California, have filed to unionise.
21 full-time staff of the studio who capture motion for "a wide range of motion capture productions for Take-Two Interactive," including its tentpole NBA and BioShock franchises, have requested voluntary recognition of their union to "address core issues related to their compensation and working conditions."
At the time of writing, Take-Two has reportedly "declined to respond", prompting staff to call for a union election overseen by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
The filing seeks to cover a variety of roles, including motion capture engineers, technicians, animators, artists, audio recording specialists, carpenters, fabricators, and more.
“The opportunity to work at 2K Mocap has truly been a dream come true for my coworkers and me," said Connor Bredbeck, Stage Technician. "It is our love for the work we do that has not only allowed us to organise but is also the reason we are organising in the first place.
"The inequities we are experiencing are endemic to the gaming industry and detract from the work we are all so passionate about. The decision to form a union was a necessary step for our studio and hopefully for others as well.”
The IATSE - "the union behind entertainment" - supports the workers.
“These dedicated individuals are essential to the success of the world-class video games their labor helps create, and their contributions and technical skills overlap significantly with crafts IATSE already represents," said Michael F. Miller, international VP of IATSE.
"IATSE stands firmly with the 2K mocap workers and video game workers in general in their pursuit of the same rights and protections union members have around the entertainment industry. We look forward to the election and eventually good faith negotiations with Take-Two Interactive to honor their workers’ voices and engage in good faith negotiations.”
Earlier today, we reported that the Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) confirmed that as it prepares to resume negotiations with video game developers, "more than 120 games from 49 companies" have signed the union's tiered-budget or interim agreements.
SAG-AFTRA says the central issue of contention has been "the union’s demand for proper consent, compensation and transparency around the use of AI, for all members who work the contract." It voted to strike at the end of July after it failed to reach an agreement with the convenience bargaining group over rights and protection concerns.