Realizing that unionization was imminent, Walt acknowledged and entered into limited negotiations, with a staff organized union, called the Federation of Screen Cartoonists. In January of 1941 though, the National Labor Relations Board certified the Screen Cartoonists Guild as the union organization that formally represented film animators. This Guild, led by a touch labor tactician began targeting all the leading Hollywood animation studios. The SCG turned its sights on the Disney Studio, calling the Federation of Screen Cartoonists as a company union manipulated by Disney management. One of the companies highest paid artists said that he was directly encouraged by … Continue reading →

In August 1941, Walt described his feelings about the strike that had crippled his Studio for many months, and that was on the verge of being settled. He said “The lies, …half truths that were placed in the public press cannot be easily forgotten. I was called a rat, a yellow-dog employer, and an exploiter of labor. They took the salaries of my messenger boys and claimed them to be the salaries of my artists.” This devastating event came about, ironically, as a result of the Studio’s recent success, and the triumph of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” The … Continue reading →