The Color Designers of IATSE Local 839 ask for your support in seeking pay equity.
By signing the attached petition you are sending a message to the AMPTP (Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers) and greater entertainment industry that you agree that the Color Design scale rate should be increased to match the rates of substantially similar positions found in the design department of 2D animated productions. Our committee recognizes that this is not the only craft experiencing hardships, both regarding gender based pay inequity as well as other working conditions, and we pledge to support our IATSE kin with their concerns whenever called upon to do so.

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For more information about the inequitable pay for this position, including a current rates comparison chart, see below.
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We are your Coworkers
Color Designers are found in the design department of 2D animated productions—we are the skilled artists that set the look, lighting, and palette of cartoons. Every week we decide and execute the color on hundreds of characters, props, and effects that make up an episode of television or a feature film. We help give life to the characters that writers create, that actors voice, and that designers model. We are essential contributors to every production and our work outlives us in the form of products, merchandising, and branding. Over time Color Designers' responsibilities have grown to include other design or production tasks such as creating special lighting and palettes, cleaning or revising files, compositing models with backgrounds, formatting files for shipping, and preparing route sheets. It's also not uncommon for Color Designers to be asked to paint backgrounds, which can undercut the need for a Background Painter when these roles are not valued equally.
We have been Separated
Despite their similar requirements for artistic skills and expertise, Color Designers have been separated from their design colleagues in many ways. Character/Prop Design, Background Layout and Background Paint are all classified together under the "Animation" section of the Guild contract, and share the exact same pay scale minimums. Color Design is the sole exception. It is found in the "Ink and Paint" section of our contract, and is valued considerably less than any other role working in the design department today. This outdated sectioning in our contract is a remnant from the days when Color Designers were segregated along with the rest of the Ink and Paint department, into a separate studio location, and treated as lesser employees.
We are Undervalued
Historically, Color Designers and the Ink and Paint department were roles occupied by women and were the only positions open to women in the early days of animation . As "women’s work," it paid less than the animation jobs that men performed. Unfortunately that historic pay gap has continued into today’s salaries. Not only are Journey Color Designers minimums 14.4% less than the rest of the design department which impacts take home pay, but this affects IAP pension contributions as well which are tied to this contract minimum and not to individually negotiated rates. And unlike the others, there is also no supervisor provision included in the Ink and Paint section, so Color Designers can be asked to perform supervisory duties without any increase to their salaries.
We ask for your Support
Stand in solidarity with Animation Color Designers in recognizing their worth and demanding their wages more accurately reflect the scope of their contributions. Color Design continues to be a majority-female craft, a rarity in The Animation Guild for whom women workers only make up 27% of its membership. Despite the many changes made in animation, it can be inferred that what was historically “women’s work” continues to be undervalued and underpaid today. It’s time to change that.




Historic precedent is no excuse for continued inequity, please take a moment and sign our petition.
We truly thank you for your support!
IATSE Local 839 Color Designer Committee

#NewDeal4Animation #EqualPay4EqualPaint #ColorIsDesign #IAsolidarity #TAG839

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