The Walt Disney Animators’ Strike of 1941 During the early 1930s, unions began to organize in almost every industry across the nation, including the Hollywood entertainment industry. Unions for actors, directors, stagehands, and writers sprung up to collectively bargain for better working conditions. The Screen Cartoonist’s Guild was formed in 1938 to organize and unify the previously unrepresented cartoonists and animators in Hollywood. The Guild enjoyed success during its first year, representing the animators of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, or MGM, as well as those of the Walter Lantz Studios. Through collective bargaining, the Screen Cartoonist’s Guild was able to effectively raise the wages for 115 members at the studios it represented.
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Almost half of the art department, including most of the cartoonists and many non-union members, had walked out to observe the strike. The marchers were joined by animators from other studio unions, such as Warner Brothers Studios, who marched to show their support for the Disney men and women. Some even loaned their cars to form a motorcade around the studio. During their off duty hours, union chefs at local restaurants would come to the picket lines and cook for the strikers for free. Disney workers carried colorful signs featuring famous Disney cartoon characters like Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck- one sign, featuring Pluto the Dog, read “I’d rather be a dog than a scab!” These signs lined the street outside the studio for the next five …show more content…
The ad consisted of an open letter to his “employees on strike” claiming that Disney had offered the leaders of the Screen Cartoonists Guild very favorable terms, but the leaders had not accepted. Disney also claimed to be “positively convinced that Communist agitation, leadership, and activities have brought about this strike.” This letter may have been a move to destroy unity among the strikers and blame the strike on an outside cause. However, the striking workers did not take the bait. In a letter of response, they wrote to Walt, “If you meant what you said in your trade paper announcement yesterday, we believe this strike can be settled.” Disney, however, did not mean what he said and continued to refuse to negotiate or recognize the
Almost half of the art department, including most of the cartoonists and many non-union members, had walked out to observe the strike. The marchers were joined by animators from other studio unions, such as Warner Brothers Studios, who marched to show their support for the Disney men and women. Some even loaned their cars to form a motorcade around the studio. During their off duty hours, union chefs at local restaurants would come to the picket lines and cook for the strikers for free. Disney workers carried colorful signs featuring famous Disney cartoon characters like Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck- one sign, featuring Pluto the Dog, read “I’d rather be a dog than a scab!” These signs lined the street outside the studio for the next five …show more content…
The ad consisted of an open letter to his “employees on strike” claiming that Disney had offered the leaders of the Screen Cartoonists Guild very favorable terms, but the leaders had not accepted. Disney also claimed to be “positively convinced that Communist agitation, leadership, and activities have brought about this strike.” This letter may have been a move to destroy unity among the strikers and blame the strike on an outside cause. However, the striking workers did not take the bait. In a letter of response, they wrote to Walt, “If you meant what you said in your trade paper announcement yesterday, we believe this strike can be settled.” Disney, however, did not mean what he said and continued to refuse to negotiate or recognize the