Nickelodeon has agreed to voluntarily recognize The Animation Guild (IATSE 839) as the bargaining rep for its studios’ production workers.

The group that includes managers, coordinators and post assistants will start negotiating their first union contract “soon,” according to TAG.

Last month, 177 staffers voted to become the largest group of production workers ever to organize with TAG, which has an existing collective agreement with Nickelodeon that covers writers, artists and CG techs, but not production workers.

“By doing this, the studio has shown that it is willing and ready to recognize the hard work, time and love we pour into our productions,” the workers’ organizing committee said in a TAG statement released yesterday. “We are so excited to work with [Nickelodeon] and our artist colleagues to come to an agreement that reiterates their support for what we do.”

Nick followed suit by releasing its own statement of support today. “Nickelodeon Animation Studios supports its talented and dedicated production workers who play an instrumental role in the making of our content. The studio’s collaborative relationship with The Animation Guild spans many years, and we look forward to bargaining an agreement with the union covering this new group of employees,” said Brian Keane, EVP of production and operations at Nickelodeon Animation Studios.

There has been an increased drive lately to unionize entertainment workers employed in fields beyond traditionally organized ones like writing and acting. Canadian studios Oasis Animation and Titmouse signed union agreements in 2021, and Jam Filled Entertainment ran its first union drive in 2022. Animation and production workers in European countries such as France and the UK are already largely unionized.