‘Saturday Night Live’ VFX Workers Ratify First Union Contract

Visual effects workers employed by Saturday Night Live have ratified their first union contract.

All 15 eligible members of a recently formed IATSE union voted to approve a deal reached by negotiators in May, the labor group announced Monday. The agreement was reached following an accelerated negotiations process that began in April and concluded before the long-running sketch comedy show’s 50th season finale on May 17.

The IATSE workers handle visual effects on the show’s pre-recorded sketches, like “Goth Kid on Vacation” featuring Jack Black and “Boss’s Bathroom” with Walton Goggins.

“We are excited to join the large union presence at SNL and hope this inspires the rest of the VFX and animation industries across the country to follow suit,” lead union organizer Hannah S. Kim said in a statement.

While the union’s summary of the deal was light on specifics, it noted that the contract institutes minimum wage rates and continuous healthcare benefits. It also establishes annuity contributions and “kill fees” for workers who are hired for a project that is canceled before its scheduled completion date. The deal also contains language pertaining to the use of AI in the workplace and outsourcing and includes a grievance procedure.

The visual effects workers announced that their union had been voluntarily recognized in October 2024. At the time, the group was calling for “pay equity” and “stable healthcare,” citing demanding and fast-paced workdays in advance of each week’s show.

IATSE has been organizing visual effects workers for a few years now. In addition to SNL, the union has notched bargaining units at Marvel Studios, Walt Disney Pictures, a Disney subsidiary that does work for the Avatar films and Apple TV since 2023.