“I’ve worked at ICON for over 2 years now and I like the studio a lot. I’ve met so many amazing artist and had the opportunity to work on some really cool projects. But as good as ICON is, I think there are still lots of improvements to be made. We spend so many of our waking hours at work, dedicating ourselves to this craft. It would be great to have a voice in some of the ways our workplace treats us. And I think having a union would give us that voice.”

— Lead Assets Artist

“I think there are a lot of things ICON does well, primarily in their efforts to retain staff wherever possible. However, I think the staff at ICON need to have more of a voice at the studio. The workers at ICON pour their hearts and souls into the work they do for this company, and they deserve to have a say in their working conditions. ICON could be a better place to work if all the workers are treated fairly and compensated for their overtime, and have a chance to negotiate in a union contract the things that matter to them. By working together, we could improve upon the things ICON already does well to make this studio a place that is fair for all.”

— Director

“Over the last 6 years at ICON I’ve watched the company grow over 3 times in size. The artists do amazing work, constantly pushing the quality of our shows. Despite its size, ICON is often run as if it were still a few friends in a basement. We’re the largest independent animation studio in Canada, but management still expects its artists to sacrifice their own personal time to pick up the slack “for the good of the company”. There HAVE been big changes in 6 years, both in quality of life changes and benefits. Those wins came from persistent efforts of the employees to make the studio better, not from the benevolence of management. A union would strengthen us workers’ ability to fight for the changes we need to survive and for the rights we deserve.”

— Lead Rigging Artist

“I’m very grateful to work in this industry, but I do also have this feeling of confusion and fear at Icon, because of how opaque management is in its dealings with us. And it sucks that the opaqueness seems to be intentional. Telling us “You don’t need a union” is like them saying “Trust us. It’s best for you if you don’t have a voice.” And I know management will say that they’re listening, and that they have a suggestion box and the occasional poll, but that's only the small voice we’re allowed to have that’s on their terms. Working at Icon isn’t just our job, it’s a large chunk of our lives. So why shouldn’t we have a voice here that’s on our own terms?”

— Rigging Artist

“I’ve been at ICON for almost two years now and my experience has been pretty positive. The team has been great to work with and the productions I’ve been on have been relatively organized and enjoyable. Though my experience so far has been good, I’ve seen many others struggle with things like unpaid OT and ghost hours, people across the same position being paid extraordinarily different despite their work and experience, lack of transparency and organization regarding vacation days, visas, PR applications, and more. A lot of us really love the team we work with and pour a lot of hard work into our shows, but many are working in unfair conditions and are severely undervalued. I really believe that change needs to come to this industry, as the working conditions as they are now are just not sustainable. I want us to finally have a voice and protection against unfair practices, and I believe unionizing will be the start to get us there.”

— Senior Lighter/Compositor

I worked at ICON for less than a year, I personally had a good experience and a great team to work with but that hasn't been the case for many of my coworkers. As in any studio, there are many things to improve, but unfortunately here it's complicated to have a productive conversation with management about what to improve and what is hurting artists, much miscommunication is going on, treats that are unfunded, OT being illegally compensated, people being fired without proper notice, people being emotionally manipulated with not renewing their visas, huge salary gaps, etc. It is time to speak up and stop being afraid of companies. We want the best for them, but we also need good conditions and quality of life. We need to sit down, talk, and make this happen. We are all one industry, and we all need to work for it, for us and the generations to come.

— Lead Animator