VFX workers for Saturday Night Live (SNL) are unionizing with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) and have won official recognition of their union. The group includes 16 VFX artists and leads who unanimously supported unionizing with IATSE.While SNL is known for its live televised segments, it also features several pre-recorded "digital shorts" which require editors and VFX workers to operate under tight time constraints; in 2017, Fast Company reported turnarounds could be as little as 12 hours.Over the six seasons I've worked at SNL, I've seen the VFX department evolve from a small group to a tightly integrated, highly organized operation capable of delivering hundreds of demanding shots over a 24-hour period, said VFX artist Richard Lampasone. It's an intense, collaborative, and extremely fun environment that constantly tests the limits of our skills, our versatility, and, after long days staring at a screen, our ability to form coherent sentences. Our work, like that of everyone else above and below the line, is critical to the show's success. We look forward to celebrating Season 50 by joining in SNL's decades-long tradition of supporting union labor, and to helping negotiate a contract that reflects the substantial value we add and makes ours a more accessible and sustainable career for years to come.Working here is tremendously fun, chaotic, and hugely rewarding, added Danny Behar, VFX artist for SNL. We work 15-hour days every Saturday, delivering renders before cast & crew start rehearsals, and ending after the show has finished broadcasting. Our department is essential to the show's success. For that and a multitude of other reasons, we deserve to have a seat at the table. We are the only department that currently does not have one. If we're going to continue working on the show, it is necessary for us to receive the basic entitlements offered to other units like pay equity and stable healthcare.The VFX workers are following in the footsteps of SNLs editors, who began their unionization campaign in October 2022, ultimately resulting in the editors ratifying their first agreement in May 2023. This week, NBCUniversal management agreed to a similar process for recognizing SNL VFX workers union after SNL VFX workers presented signed authorization cards demonstrating 100% support for unionization.We deserve what every other department at SNL has, we deserve to be protected, we deserve to be represented, and we deserve to be on equal footing with the people we work directly side by side with, said VFX lead David Torres Eber. SNL is a very stressful show to work on while also being a very enriching experience full of creative problems to solve. We should be focused on those problems each week and not whether our insurance has lapsed or when we can schedule a doctors appointment after the summer hiatus ends.The effort to unionize is part of a broader campaign by IATSE to bring representation to VFX workers across the entertainment industry, as positions in the field have not been historically represented. IATSE has made significant strides in recent months, securing union recognition for VFX workers at companies such as Marvel, Disney, Avatar, DNEG (Canada), and AppleTV. Those interested in joining the movement should visit their website for more information and to get in touch with IATSE organizers.Source: IATSE Journalist, antique shop owner, aspiring gemologistLaurn brings a diverse perspective to animation, where every frame reflects her varied passions.