GecT is correct.

Unions are there to make sure the employee gets paid fairly for the work they perform, as well as give you fair warning if work may soon dry up so you can be prepared for a "dry season".

In feature film work, this is the norm.

"Ramp-up, ramp-down" is the way most, if not all feature work gets done.
Unless you are hired as a TD or VFX sup. with a separate contract, nobody is ever hired "full-time".

However, the great thing about union work for features is usually production goes 6 months or longer, so when the "ramp-down" (i.e. layoff) phase begins as post prod. comes to a close on a given project, because an artist worked for 6 months or longer, they/we are allowed by law to apply for unemployment benefits.

Unemployment lasts for only 6 months, but in feature work the chance of you finding a new job within that time is very good depending on your physical location, your status within the union, your past production experience, and your reel.


In the corporate world, (i.e. non-film) most employers laugh at the thought of using union artists, as they feel they have no control over the individual employees pay, benefits, morale, etc.

Employers value having control over these things because it it is a valuable "strongarm-tool" that forces an employee to have misplaced loyalty to a company, and because of that, an employee will go to great lengths to keep his/her job.

In my experience with the corporate world, often people will try to protect their job so much, that they will even go to the extent of reporting other coworkers EXTREMELY trivial infractions of conduct normally accepted by any other company, but because of the situation, a zero-tolerance policy is enacted that makes for a VERY uncomfortable, i.e unproductive and noncreative working environment for all involved.

This is why a LOT of my corporate friends decided to go full-time freelance.
This allows one to feel, work, and perform as if they are working with union protection, but gives them the freedom to speak to the client directly in ways a union and a corporate HR dept. does no allow.

The drawback to freelance is the lack of job security.
One is always behind the 8-ball, not sure where their next meal is coming from.

Also, regarding graphic design or effects-related unions, they are not available in every state.
They are usually found on the east & west coasts here in the US.
The 2 that immedialtly come to my mind are:
https://www.animationguild.org/
https://www.artdirectors.org

Anyhoo, I don't want to sound like working here in the US is like working in a police state, lol
I really gotta move to California, or NY if I'm going to ever stop moaning and groaning, hehe....