Visual Effects Company Closure Exit Form

Since this is happening more frequently I thought it best to create a form for visual effects workers and reporters.

------------------------------------ cut here -----------------------------------------


Visual Effects Company Closure Exit Form VFX-SOL

Check all that apply.


It was announced on ____________  that  ______________________________ , a visual effects company, located in _________________________, has closed it's doors due to:

__ Subsidies
__ Bad business practices (note: requires Subsidies to be checked as well)
__ Completion of project

The vfx workers had:
__ Finished the project
__ Done above and beyond their jobs
__ Sacrificed their personal lives
__ Shown loyalty to the company
__ Solved immense technical problems
__ Gotten the company out of a jam
__ Put in unpaid hours
__ Put in unpaid OverTime
__ Put in a lot of OverTime

At the end of the project they had expected:
__ Payment
__ Pat on the back
__ Thank you
__ Wrap Party

Instead they were given:
__ Pink slips

but did not get:
__ Paid

During the project they received:
__ Missed payrolls
__ Broken promises
__ No communication with management

The owners repeatedly said:
__ You will be paid soon
__ There was a glitch in accounting
__ The bank messed up
__ The client will be wiring money soon
__ Once we complete this next sequence
__ Once we complete this next milestone
__ Don't worry, you'll be taken care of

During this time workers did not want to:
__ Do anything
__ Say anything
__ Unite together

because:
__ Fear of blacklisting
__ Didn't want to rock the boat
__ Fear of losing work (even if it wasn't paid work)
__ Prided themselves on being individuals
__ They had faith in the managers/owners
__ They had faith in the company

So when the company closed the workers had not been paid in:
____ Years
____ Months
____ Weeks

because:
__ They loved vfx
__ They had faith in the managers/owners
__ They had faith in the company
__ They had thought their sacrifices would be rewarded
__ Didn't want to rock the boat
__ Feared being blacklisted

In total ____ workers are owed over _____________ and some as much as ____________

In addition the company owed them:
__ Vacation
__ Health Care
__ Pension
__ Retirement plan
__ Expenses

They expect to see ___ % of their actual money owed in:
__ Weeks
__ Months
__ Years
__ (Default) When hell freezes over

To do so they expect to:
__ Complain to each other
__ Put up a Facebook Page
__ Write a bad review
__ Contact legal help
__ Complain publicly

They do not expect to:
__ Complain publicly
__ Put up a Facebook Page
__ Write a bad review, even anonymously
__ Contact legal help

because:
__ Fear of blacklisting
__ Don't want to rock the boat
__ Love of vfx

In the future the workers will:
__ Do the same thing

because:
__ This was a unique event.
__ Things will improve without any effort on their part.

The workers learned:
__ This is just the way it is
__ They should change careers

Things they still won't do:
__ Sign a union rep card anonymously
__ Support Adapt
__ Do something

because:
__ Fear of blacklisting
__ Don't want to rock the boat
__ Love of vfx

Meanwhile others think:
__ Everything is fine
__ That will never happen to them
__ Subsidies aren't so bad
__ Moving frequently isn't so bad. Their spouse and children love it.
__ If they ignore the issues, the issues will go away.
__ If they're very quiet they won't lose their job or have to move
__ They'll wait for someone else to implement a perfect global solution
__ More overtime for no pay. Where do I sign up?
__ They'd rather be on a sinking ship that to help try to fix it
__ Silence is golden.
__ Watch out, you could be blacklisted
__ Watch out, don't rock the boat
__ It's fun to live in fear of the company you work for.
__ They love VFX. They might as well because it's becoming less of a profession all the time.