Saturday Night Live’s visual effects team has officially secured a union contract.
Nine months after publicly unionizing, the team has unanimously ratified its first agreement. According to IATSE, the deal includes minimum wage standards, healthcare benefits, an official grievance process, and kill fees for canceled projects. The union also highlights that the group won “critical AI and outsourcing protections.”
The VFX crew began negotiations in April, though the process wasn’t smooth at first. “Initially, management did not provide sufficient dates to conclude negotiations before the season ended,” the union’s press release explains. “Demonstrating strong solidarity, workers signed a petition and wore union shirts on set to underscore the urgency of reaching a fair agreement.”
In response to those efforts, “management responded swiftly, and negotiations concluded efficiently in May, ahead of the season finale’s production,” IATSE says.
SNL’s visual effects team often works on tight deadlines, with many of the show’s pre-taped segments filmed late in the week. As the union’s initial statement noted, that production schedule can leave as little as a 12-hour window to complete visual effects work.
The team—composed of fifteen visual effects professionals—first announced its unionization with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) in October, and received official recognition from NBCUniversal. At the time, they were the only department on the show without union representation.
SNL’s most recent unionization before this came from its editors, who signed an agreement in 2023.
