MPC argument against unionisation no. 5

MPC says: 'A union could mean that just 40% of the workers can decide the fate of everyone else'

This is either a misunderstanding of how union recognition works, or is a deliberate attempt to put workers off of unionisation by spreading misinformation about it. Don’t just take our word for it, feel free to check up on any of these facts yourself (this page by the UK government confirms it, as does the UK government’s full PDF guide to recognition). Let’s take a simplified look at how membership numbers affect a recognition bid.Once a recognition bid has started, checks are made at several points throughout the process to make sure that the union still has enough support for the bid to continue. If at any point the numbers aren’t high enough, then the bid ends immediately and recognition is refused. The required membership level gets higher with each check as the bid develops:

1. For a bid to start, the union only needs 10% of the chosen department to be members.
   Note: 10% is only a minimum. A recognition bid requires a union to commit significant time and resources, and are therefore not started lightly. It would be highly foolish for a union to start a bid with a membership level as low as 10%, and in practice most unions – including BECTU – will insist on a much higher and fairer membership level before they’ll even consider launching a recognition bid.
2. Halfway through the recognition process, in order for the bid to proceed to the CAC, the union needs to show that a majority of workers in the chosen department “would be likely to favour union recognition”. For it to be able to do this, the union will either need at least 40% of the department to be members, or it’ll need some other demonstration of support (like a petition signed by the majority of the department for example).
3. In the final stages of a bid, one last membership check is made. If the union’s membership includes over 50% of the chosen department, then recognition is granted immediately. Otherwise, if the union has 40%-50% of the chosen department, then a ballot is held – and recognition is only granted if over 50% of those who vote in the ballot are in favour of recognition. The vote is ruled to be invalid if less than 40% of the department as a whole took part. This is a higher standard than UK elections, where in 2015 the conservatives won a majority with 37% of the vote , and where no required minimum turnout rule exists at all (in 1998 turnout in one local election was just 28.8%).

So as you can see, this worry has no basis. Recognition bids are hard – deliberately so. It would be very, very difficult for a bid to be successful if only 40% of the department supported it. The only way this could happen is if either (1) the company chose to immediately grant voluntary recognition in step 1 without checking via ACAS that the union had enough support, or (2) if most of those in the department against recognition for some reason decided not to vote.If a VFX company is genuinely concerned about “40% of the workers deciding the fate of everyone else”, then we would invite them to talk to BECTU. BECTU would be happy to correct any misconceptions they might have about recognition. BECTU can also give the company a rough anonymised idea of membership level in initial talks via a third party such ACAS to assure them that the membership level is high enough. From the conversations we’ve had with VFX workers and the feedback we’ve had so far, we can safely predict that it is a lot more than “just 40%” of our departments that want to see a positive change in the VFX industry!…- See more at: http://vfxforum.org/faq/#what_arguments_has_mpc_given_against_unionisation_so_far

MPC argument against unionisation no. 4

MPC says: 'For things to get fairer for everyone, seniors, leads and supes will have to accept a pay cut.'

Again, not true – this is an attempt to turn different workers against each other. Our response to this is exactly the same as the response that we gave for “pay-banding” and “the pit is not bottomless”:

• Members get to vote on any proposed agreement that changes how pay or other key parts of our working conditions are run. If enough members are unhappy with a proposed agreement, then it will be rejected and it simply won’t come into force. If a new agreement was voted in by members, then it would be because a majority were unhappy with the old agreement, and a new agreement was therefore necessary anyway. No agreement will come into force without the members’ approval.
• It’s not in a union’s interest to push a company out of business or to make it less efficient than competitors – workers would lose jobs, and the union will lose members. Remember that unions make their workforces more efficient, not less`.

It’s impossible to say with any certainty what exact terms will come out of negotiations between BECTU and a VFX company if a recognition bid is successful. The question that workers at MPC should be asking themselves right now is not “What will the results be for me financially?”, but rather “Are we being treated fairly by our employers right now, and if not, would we like a union to work on our behalf to try to improve the situation?”- See more at: http://vfxforum.org/faq/#what_arguments_has_mpc_given_against_unionisation_so_far 

 BIG LONDON VFX MEETING

WED 13 JAN

It’s selling out! Register to ensure your place (free) bit.ly/unionise

MPC argument against unionisation no. 3

MPC says: 'If a union is recognised, then it's no longer possible for us to reward good workers with pay increases'

Again, not true. Just because a union has been recognised, it doesn’t mean that pay agreements with the workers suddenly magically change. The relationship between the workers, a recognised union and a company normally works like this:

1. The members at a company are unhappy. They speak to their elected union rep, and it becomes clear that a majority of them want to see some kind of change in their working conditions (like paid overtime for example).
2. The union rep brings this issue to the union’s attention, and asks the union to begin negotiations with the company about it.
3. The union negotiates with management at the company on behalf of its members, and tries to come up with a proposed agreement that gives the workers what they are asking for. If this isn’t possible, then the union will try to find an alternate proposed agreement that at least goes part-way.
4. If a proposed agreement was found, then the union presents this proposed agreement to their members, and the members vote on it. If enough members are in favour of it, then the agreement comes into force. If the members reject it or if no proposed agreement was reached, then the members decide what to do next – whether to ask BECTU to go for a different deal, or whether to give up on their demands, or whether to consider industrial action of some sort to put pressure the company (such as refusing to work excessive overtime).

So just because a department chose to unionise through BECTU, it doesn’t mean that pay banding would automatically have to come into effect. It would only come in if the members wanted it, an agreement was reached, and a majority of those members voted for it. If a department feels that they are already fairly rewarded for good work and that the system isn’t being abused, then they’d have no reason to ask for and vote in favour of a different pay structure that gets rid of it.Even if workers did choose to vote for pay banding or rate-cards at some point in the future, pay banding is more commonly implemented as a minimum anyway, i.e. “as a lead compositor, you should be paid at least £XXX per hour”. There’s no reason that a rate-card or pay-banding system should stop a company from paying talented individuals more than the minimum rate. If you don’t believe us, then have a look at a genuine BECTU rate card (PDF) for the camera branch, and see for yourself.Finally, remember that any future decision we make over pay-banding/rate cards is completely separate from the question of whether we should unionise or not. The question is not “What will the results be for me financially?”, but rather “Are we being treated fairly by our employers right now, and if not, would we like a union to work on our behalf to try to improve the situation?”- See more at: http://vfxforum.org/faq/#what_arguments_has_mpc_given_against_unionisation_so_far

 BIG LONDON VFX MEETING WED 13 JANIt’s selling out! Register to ensure your place (free) bit.ly/unionise 

MPC argument against unionisation no. 2

MPC says: 'If one department unionises, then we'll have to cut everyone else's pay by 20% to pay for it'

It’s hard to take this excuse as anything other than blackmail, and an attempt to turn VFX workers against each other.As we’ve discussed elsewhere, when a union is recognised it doesn’t somehow mean that every worker instantly gets suddenly becomes more expensive, or that everyone instantly gets paid overtime. When a union is first recognised, nothing changes at all beyond the fact that the company is now required to talk to the union, and must give access to the information they need to be able to do their job (profit margins, pay scales, employee lists, etc). If MPC chose to cut everyone else’s pay as a bizarre form of “collective punishment”, then there would be absolutely no reason for them to do this other than greed – they would be using the union as a convenient excuse to increase profits by reducing wages. If this came to pass and these other departments felt unhappy at being punished like this, then BECTU would welcome them with open arms, and would be happy to start fighting for their rights too.Remember, unionisation is a basic legal right that almost everyone in the UK has – why should MPC punish its workers simply for exercising their rights? What if instead of putting all this time and effort into fighting unionisation, MPC put the same time and effort into collaborating with the union to end worker exploitation and excessive overtime instead?- See more at: http://vfxforum.org/faq/#what_arguments_has_mpc_given_against_unionisation_so_far

 BIG LONDON VFX MEETINGWED 13 JANIt’s selling out! Register to ensure your place (free) bit.ly/unionise

MPC argument against unionisation no. 1

MPC says: 'The pot is not bottomless - if VFX workers want paid overtime/sick pay/job security/etc, then something's got to give'

Naturally – this is not an unreasonable position for a company to take. BECTU is being guided by its members, and we recognise that the VFX industry is a financially challenging environment, and that the UK VFX companies don’t have endless resources. If we unionise, then of course it doesn’t mean that every single VFX worker’s wishes will somehow instantly be granted. Equally though, just because the VFX companies have limited money, it doesn’t mean that it’s somehow completely impossible for them to improve how they treat their workers. Nor does it mean that a recognised union would somehow instantly put the VFX companies out of business.Let’s be completely clear: we’re not unionising because we’re trying to squeeze more money out of the VFX companies. We’re not unionising because we want to pick a fight. We’re not unionising because of some unrealistic ideology either. We’re unionising because of very serious and very practical concerns about how people are being treated. We feel that the way that the VFX industry is treating its people is not right, is not sustainable, and needs to change if the UK VFX industry is to keep the talent it needs to survive. Having coordinators block exits to prevent workers from leaving on time is not a reasonable way for MPC to treat its workers – ever.If the union’s members started pushing for something unreasonable (like making all their salaries 100x larger), then the union can look at the company’s books and will tell its members that this is completely unrealistic, before suggesting a more reasonable goal. If a VFX company ends up shrinking or going out of business because of a union, then that hurts the union too, because it loses members and membership fees. No one wants to see unionisation hurt the VFX industry, especially not BECTU.A union also doesn’t arbitrarily decide on its own how much workers get paid – the union negotiates with the company and they come to a common agreement. If a VFX company could convincingly show that it couldn’t afford to pay for things like overtime, then BECTU would listen and would respect that. However, in the last 3 years of negotiations with BECTU, none of the VFX companies have yet made such a case. We think that a well-rested and fairly treated workforce would be significantly more efficient than a workforce that’s tired, overworked and demoralised – and this is something that should be taken into account before blindly suggesting that ideas such as paid-overtime simply aren’t affordable.Even if a VFX company couldn’t afford to pay for everything its members were asking for, there are still other ways of tackling the issues that we’ve been raising. It might involve making changes to bidding and how time is estimated, for example. It might involve developing a stricter company policy on worker exploitation, and punishing productions or supervisors that breach these rules. It might involve changing development priorities, so that the company focuses on improvements to remove inefficient workflows. It might involve negotiating different terms with the Hollywood studios, so that the financial health of the VFX industry can improve. A union can help with all of these these things, as it has helped in other parts of the film industry.Finally, we would caution any company that makes this excuse. VFX workers are a smart bunch, and are quite capable of doing research using publicly available resources to see through bad excuses. Anyone can search the UK Companies House website to see that MPC made £11.6 million in profit in 2014, for example (PDF, page 8). Anyone can find articles proclaiming that 2015 was a record financial year for the film industry as a whole, with total box office profits in excess of $11 billion worldwide. If the UK VFX companies truly cannot afford to treat their people reasonably despite the fact that they’re part of the most profitable movies in the film industry, then maybe it’s time for them to ask themselves why and to take steps to improve the situation.- See more at: http://vfxforum.org/faq/#what_arguments_has_mpc_given_against_unionisation_so_far

 BIG LONDON VFX MEETING WED 13 JANIt’s selling out! Register to ensure your place (free) bit.ly/unionise

New Year, New VFX Industry!

What a year! 2015 saw the comp department at MPC here in London unionise and 2016 promises many more exciting developments for the VFX Union - starting with the big meeting next Wednesday the 13th of January!

Unionise VFX London 2016!BECTU is unionising the UK VFX industry. We aim to tackle the scandal of unpaid overtime and tortuous long hours in the VFX Sector.Come along and hear what's happening and how you can be part of this campaign.

WHEN

Wednesday, 13 January 2016 from 19:00 to 21:00 (GMT) 

WHERE

Regent Hall - 275 Oxford Street London W1C 2DJ GB

It's a free event and if you work in VFX in London, then this is an essential event for you and your colleagues. Click on this link to register - see you there! You know how you've been waiting for something to happen? Well... something's happening! 

Thursday VFX Lunch Meet today!

The comp department at MPC has unionised and this is an historic moment for the visual effects industry!

This is not about one department in one company. We want all the departments at MPC to join comp and unionise. We want all of the vfx workers at all of the facilities in London to join with us.

Now is the time for action! Someone isn’t going to do this for you. We all need to make it happen together! Join the union now!

A great place to start is our weekly meet up every Thursday lunchtime.

Thursday VFX Lunch Meet

in the food court at The Plaza, Oxford Street

from 1:00-2:00pm

Look for the green flag!

Come along to talk about what’s happening with unionisation at MPC, all the issues we want to address and how you can get involved. Last week we had over 100 people show up and it was truly amazing! The energy and enthusiasm in London for this is off the charts! Everybody who works in Visual Effects in London is up for this. All you have to do is join the union and start making it happen now!

New game. New rules.

Welcome to the Brave New World of Visual Effects! The compositing department at MPC has unionised and the global response has been amazing! The Hollywood Reporter covered the story and now fxguide has a post up on their website as well. Twitter has gone bananas on the subject and Reddit is doing that thing that Reddit does!But this is not just about the comp department at MPC. This is about ALL the departments at MPC. This is about ALL the Visual Effects facilities in London. This is about the whole of the Visual Effects Industry around the world!So many people in vfx tell me that they'd like to have a union, but they're waiting for something to happen. Well, guess what? Something's happening!You know that train you've been waiting for? It's pulling out of the station right now! Jump on board!To all VFX Union members: you need to start talking to your coworkers around you and get them to join and you need to get started now! No one else is going to do this for us. Stop sitting around waiting for someone to do something. YOU need to do something! We ALL need to take action now to make this happen! How do members get non members at work to join the vfx union?Simple. Stop and chat with your fellow vfx workers. Talk with them one on one.Ask them if they've heard about the union. Ask them if they've thought about joining. Most of your coworkers will say yes to both of those questions. They might even tell you they're already a member! Result! Now you've got someone to help recruit more members!It's all about talking and connecting with people. It's so easy to get a bit isolated in this industry and lost in our own little worlds, but I've found almost everyone will really open up when the subject of the vfx union is raised. It's something people in vfx like talking about.Engage with them on the subject. Tell them about vfxforum.org and our terrific set of FAQ's where they'll find an answer to almost any question they can think of. Tell them your opinions on the industry and unionisation but more importantly, listen to theirs. You will almost always find that they agree to join in that first conversation, but don't stop there - this is just the beginning of the process!Go back to them the next day and ask them if they've signed up. Most likely they didn't but don't despair and don't give up. Answer any questions they might have or just pick up the chat where you left off yesterday. Do it again the next day. Repeat these visits until they tell you they have signed up. Usually no fewer than 3-4 return chats in my experience. Often many more. Seriously... Don't give up.Don't get frustrated. Everybody WANTS to join, but there is a journey from wanting to join to actually joining that you need to guide them on. Fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD) are very real in our industry and for many, it is not a trivial thing to break away from it. Short term contracts, demands for overtime, constantly moving from one facility to the next - even moving countries to chase the work has left most of us feeling vulnerable and insecure about our livelihood. Everybody has bills, families, mortgages to worry about and nobody want to put that at risk. It shouldn't be, but joining the union can be a scary prospect for many of us. For people in our industry, the FUD is a very, very real thing. Everybody who hesitates joining will give may different reasons, but it all boils down to FUD. The good news is, virtually everyone agrees with the idea of a union and nobody wants FUD to rule their lives. Perseverance. That's what it takes. They won't come to you, so you must go to them and in time, they will eventually sign up. They always do because it's what they want. They told you that in your first conversation with them!Good luck everyone!

Unionisation at MPC!

BREAKING NEWS! The VFX branch of BECTU has given formal notice to MPC's management that the Compositing Department at MPC are unionising, and will be applying for union recognition.Yesterday (2nd Dec. 2015), MPC responded to this, and called the entire comp department (over 130 people) into a short meeting. They announced that the company had received a petition from BECTU for recognition of the union for the comp department. They announced that they will begin negotiations with BECTU, and that they intend to fight this bid for union recognition. They took no questions, and made no attempt to justify the excessive unpaid overtime in the VFX industry, or other issues that have made this recognition bid necessary.What does this mean? It means IT’S ON! Yes – this is really happening!Whilst MPC's announcement that they intend to dispute the bid is somewhat disappointing, it's no surprise either, and we were prepared for this. It came across as more of a delaying tactic than as a legitimate issue. We’ve got a fight ahead of us – but it’s a fight the union has fought before, and can win again. In gathering so many VFX workers and making this something that the VFX companies can no longer ignore, we've already achieved a major victory!We need you! To all VFX workers here in London that have been quietly hoping for something to happen, well… THIS IS IT! Now is the time to get on board! This is our best and only chance at finally getting the change our industry so badly needs.We've been overwhelmed with hundreds of responses to our VFX petition, from every corner of the UK VFX industry. Now is the time to act.We would like to invite all VFX workers in all departments at MPC and other VFX companies in London to get on board. If you want to see change in our industry and you're interested in getting something going at your company or your department, then get in touch - we'd love to help.This is our moment! This is what we’ve all been working for! Join now and help finally change the industry for the better.

Come to the Thursday VFX Lunchtime Meetup today, 1:00-2:00 in the food court at The Plaza, Oxford Street to find out more! We've got lots to talk about! Look for the green flag!

Watch this space and @VFXUnionUK on Twitter for all the latest updates on this exciting and rapidly developing situation!

London VFX house closing shop?

  News has it that Method London is undergoing a huge restructuring which will result in the loss of many jobs during a huge shrinkage. Method currently has around 70 employees, so if true this would be a substantial loss of jobs. Only a few years ago on April 30, 2013 Method gave news on an expansion from a shared existence at its Deluxe Office to a new facility on Meard Street and they were looking forward to a continued growth through 2013.Just over two years later it looks like Method is reversing trends perhaps to refocus on its global operations? Their website also appears to be currently available at this time.This just on the back of Double Negative's announcement last week of its reduction in employees in both London  (40 staff) and Singapore (80 staff) while annoucing the opening of a new Mumbai  expansion in June of this year. Not to mention the contracts that would be up for renewal in its London office, which one can only assume will either not be renewed or will be encouraged to move abroad. To Vancouver, perhaps?If you are a Bectu member and are affected by these changes either at Method or Double Negative, please get into contact with the VFX Bectu representative, Paul Evans, who can be of service to you in this time of London redundancies and closures. Bectu can help clear up any questions you have about UK Laws and make sure you are aware of your employee rights as well as be your advocate in these situations. That's one of the great benefits of being part of the union.If you are not yet in the union, it's not too late join. Join Here 

TECHNICOLOR makes deal to buy THE MILL for €259 MILLION

The Mill has been bought..  More companies merging it looks like in visual effects. The Mill has been acquired by Technicolor for €259 million. I hope this doesn't mean lay offs for any of the crew. Technicolor already has well known visual effects companies like MPC, Mr. X and Mikros Image. Mikros Image, based in Paris, has only just been acquired itself in April 2015. I guess it's not surprise the acquired a top notch advertising facility to put into their portfolio, especially since advertising can turn more revenue sometimes than films. Two acquisitions in 6 months though, does that seem like a lot? What do you think?http://www.technicolor.com/en/who-we-are/press-news-center/press-releases/technicolor-acquires-visual-effects-leader-in-advertising-the-mill

What's new in VFX?

A new article is out from Cinefex that asks some visual effects experts what's new in Visual Effects.  I'm sure a lot of it is stuff we've experienced ourselves at work.  Most notably was a lot of talk about VR and interactive experiences.

Here is the article: What's New in VFX Cinefex

What do you guys think?

This Thursday... Leaflets!

Thanks to everyone who came last week to the Thursday VFX lunchtime meet up!Wow - This is really taking off! There were some terrific regulars who showed up and a whole lot of new faces too! Great to meet new vfx people who care about the issues that we all think are important to the visual effects industry here in London and all over the world.Unpaid overtime is still the number one talking point for everybody at the meetup, so this Thursday, be sure to show up because we'll be passing out some leaflets about this big issue. Everybody who comes along for the Thursday lunchtime meetup can take away a stack of these leaflets to pass out to friends and colleagues. And THAT my friend, is what's called action!So why not grab some grub and shoot the breeze this Thursday with some other vfx people who want to change things for the better!Thursday 1:00-2:00pmSt. Anne's ChurchyardWardour Street (nr. Shaftesbury Avenue)Look for the green flag!Slowly but surely, visual effects people here in London are beginning to realise that this ain't gonna happen all by itself. We ALL need to get involved and make a difference or we will never move forward.Spread the word... bring a friend...See you there!Follow us on Twitter @VFXUnionUK

Soho VFX lunchtime meetup

Something’s been happening in Soho for the last month or so. Every Thursday from 1:00-2:00 we gather in the courtyard of St. Anne’s Church (a.k.a. “Jurassic Church” on Wardour Street nr. Shaftesbury Avenue) for an informal vfx lunchtime meetup.

Visual effects BECTU members and people who just work in visual effect are meeting up every Thursday to talk about the union and issues that are interesting to people who work in the visual effects industry here in London.

It started small with just four of us about a month ago. There’s dozens of us now and more people join us every week. Come along and help us keep the momentum going!

Let’s face it… because we are organising quietly at the moment, the visual effects union movement looks (to non-members) like it has stalled out. Everybody is waiting around for something to happen and it ain’t happening. The problem is that the visual effects union is like a secret society that’s so secret, even the members don’t know who’s in it or what’s going on. This is a chance to change that from the ground up by connecting with like minded people and creating a grassroots movement ourselves. 

It’s already happening. Please come and join us every Thursday from 1:00-2:00. Bring a sandwich or some sushi and just have a chat. All are welcome.

Look for the green flag. 

VFX Emmy 2015 nominations

Digital Arts recently posted an article on the VFX Emmy nominates which include a lot of great tv shows like:  Game of Thrones, Black Sails and Vikings to name a few.  Here is the game of thrones one below! To read the full article please click here [embed]https://vimeo.com/133433110[/embed] What do you guys think?! I know I can't wait for the next seasons of these shows and the visual effects is looking incredible!

Unbelievable, unwatchable and unavoidable?

A recent article on cracked.com titled: 6 Reasons Modern Movie CGI Looks Surprisingly Crappy has been making the rounds on social media recently. I've seen people sharing it with myself and other visual effects artists and including comments along the lines of "told you so" and "sort it out!".As a visual effects artist, I can't help but feel like they're calling us the bad guys, but is that really true?In a response to the latest VFX Blockbuster behemoth Avengers: Age Of Ultron, the article claims that a significant and growing percentage of the public is weary of the big visual effects driven films today. The article goes on to list reasons like the tendency for blockbusters to ignore the laws of physics in big action sequences (unbelievable), ubiquitous and over the top orange and teal grading palette (unwatchable) and a general criticism for the overuse of CG for absolutely everything, everywhere (unavoidable).The author occasionally channels Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) in Jurassic Park when he said: "(they) were so preoccupied with whether or not they could that they didn't stop to think if they should."To be fair, I agree with a lot of the sentiment of the article. Even as a film visual effects artist for whom it is in my best interest to see more visual effects in movies, as a film lover I'm almost always in the "less is more" camp when it comes to the tricks of my trade.The bottom line: We shouldn't blame the visual effects artists for the excesses of the studios. The studios who make these crazy visual effects bloated blockbusters are first and foremost in it to make money (art comes a little further down the list for them) and they have observed that more often than not, lots of visual effects = lots of money at the box office. It makes sense that they're going to shoehorn in more and more visual effects chasing that lovely filthy lucre.As long as the visual effects heavy blockbusters keep bringing in the lions share of the unprecedented billions at the box office during this "golden age" of studio profits, they are not just going to stay the course, they are going to turn it up to Eleven.

New kid on the block

 Check out the new VFX Pub

Cheers!

#vfx #socialmedia #discourse

Could you use an extra £8,720?!

UK workers gave their bosses nearly £32bn worth of unpaid overtime last year – an average of £6,050 each if these hours had been paid – according to new analysis published today (Friday) by the TUC for Work Your Proper Hours Day.The report estimates that on average, London workers earn £20.45 per hour and work 8.2 hours of overtime per week - loosing out on £8,720 per year!That's a lot of unpaid overtime across the board for all industries here in the UK. We're guessing that if this report only looked at the Visual Effects Industry, the value of unpaid overtime to each vfx worker would be even higher!How much are you loosing out on? You do the math!Full report here:Workers contribute £32bn to UK economy from unpaid overtime

SplineBomb: MPC lays off 150 artists

MPC let go 150 artists http://t.co/VYdJJ41BCj @VFXSolidarity @VFX_RANT @scott_squires— SplineBomb.com (@SplineBomb) January 27, 2015

#VFX facts worth repeating over and over again

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYtqkJWcdB0[/embed]