The Animation Guilds chief negotiator says the union is hopeful it can reach an agreement with studios and streamers as pivotal negotiations that will determine how major studios tackle the use of AI in animation continue.

The union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have extended their labor contract until Dec. 2 as negotiations continue over a new deal, the guild announced on Wednesday. After the latest talks took place on Monday and Tuesday, the groups have decided to return to the bargaining table starting Nov. 18. In a statement, union business representative and chief negotiator Steve Kaplan said his negotiations committee had worked diligently over the last few days to focus studios and streamers on top proposals. Based on our recent discussions, we are hopeful that the studios are willing to provide us with the movement necessary to reach an agreement, and we look forward to meeting with them again in November, he said. The AMPTP confirmed the contract extension on Wednesday.

The union stated that some of their top priorities including restrictions on the use of AI, staffing minimums and job security were discussed this week. The union has also sought to protect L.A. County studio work from being outsourced to other countries and prioritized craft-specific issues, like amplifying wages for timing directors, in this years round of bargaining.

The negotiations have taken place in stops and starts since they began on Aug. 12. In mid-August, the union and the AMPTP added bargaining dates the following month, while in September, with the union citing significant gaps preventing a deal, the parties added October negotiations dates and extended the contract until Nov. 1. The contract originally expired on July 31.

Even as their top negotiator struck an optimistic note in his statement, animation workers have been escalating pressure tactics as the discussions drag on. In late October, the union initiated a planned series of demonstrations with a march on the Burbank office of Netflix, where workers delivered a petition highlighting the levels of financial difficulty and unemployment in their cohort. (Animation Guild members have reported more instances of experimentation with AI at the streamer than at other signatory companies.) The union has announced that more demonstrations in front of AMPTP member companies will be rolled out in the next few weeks.

Like other workforces in entertainment, animation workers are weathering tough times during the business ongoing contraction. Over the summer, the union released an estimate that about one-third of its members have been laid off in the past year alone.