Out of the office, but at the table: Remote and hybrid work move into collective bargaining

Employers have often treated remote work as a flexible workplace policy or something that can be expanded, modified, or withdrawn as business needs change. Two recent labor developments at DreamWorks Animation and Blizzard Entertainment demonstrate why that assumption may no longer hold, particularly when employees are unionized or considering organization.

Employees’ dream to work remotely under CBA comes true

On August 21, 2026, DreamWorks’ remote employees ratified their first collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with The Animation Guild, IATSE Local 839. The agreement received 97% approval among participating voters, with 90 of 108 eligible employees casting ballots. It extends the protections of the Guild’s master agreement to the remote unit through a side letter, providing the same minimum wage scales, healthcare coverage, pension benefits, and related protections available to comparable employees working on DreamWorks’ Los Angeles campus.

The structure of the bargaining unit makes the development especially significant. According to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the unit consists of regular full- and part-time DreamWorks employees performing covered services remotely throughout the United States outside Los Angeles County.