Hey fellas, Animation (2D and 3D) has been unionized since the 1930s and is still unionized today.
You can read a little bit about the first attempts to unionize (mostly efforts headed by women!) on the TAG official website.
3D Animation was easily integrated into the production process because all you have to do is learn some new software. The same workers who did 2D transitioned to 3D and were treated no different before nor after the change.
Comparing the US Industry to European studios is, unfortunately, an unfair comparison to make because the US is in Late Stage Capitalism. European studios have things like "Stronger Workers Rights," "Government Funding for the Arts" (anybody watch Bluey?), and in some places, "Universal Healthcare." They have the resources to give their workers the things they need to work on more labor intensive products without having to pay for it themselves. (Note: this is a gross oversimplification.)
So it isn't a union thing. What is it?
3D ANIMATION IN THE UNITED STATES IS CHEAPER TO PRODUCE AND EASIER TO COORDINATE.
Think about it: before 3D, you had Celebrity Animators like Milt Kahl, Glenn Keane, Ollie Johnson (and the rest of the Nine Old Men), James Baxter, etc etc etc - and they were celebrities because of their draftsmanship and mastery of the craft. No one else could do what they do, and studios had to pay out the nose to secure them for their projects.
With 3D, you only have to "draw" the character once. Think about the
Animation folks who do well on social media now and who you know for their own style: Character Designers, sometimes storyboard artists, right? How many actual feature film animators do you follow (and can I have a link)? When you think of someone "famous" in animation, who do you think of? Are they an animator, or a showrunner?
If it's for TV, it's easier to package and ship materials for a 3D project to outsource it to oversea studios, then hire state-side laborers to fix everything that looks weird to get it up to snuff when it comes back (this position is called "Retake Animator"). (Feature films are produced entirely within the United States, though.) This "dilutes" the recognition of certain workers' styles and influence on the final product. Additionally, these Animators weren't doing all the work on their own, they were heading ENTIRE TEAMS of Animators and overseeing the work they were doing. 3D means smaller teams, more efficient work pipelines, and additional tools and tricks that equate to less labor needed.
So when you put all of this together, you can pay your workers smaller salaries because the work force is larger and more competitive, and none of your workers have the pull of celebrity recognition, all while still abiding by union policies.
Unfortunately the answer isn't "studios are greedy and evil" (although this is still a factor)... the reasons are just slightly less provocative and kind of boring.
(PS Studios tend to sabotage their own films for a variety of reasons, ranging from "tax writeoff," to "New Executive Wants To Start Their Own Project And This One Is Sucking Up All The Resources," to "higher-ups genuinely don't think it will do well and are, in their minds, trying to mitigate the damage by not spending more money on marketing.")
TLDR: The answer isn't unions. The answer is "this kind of art is cheaper because it's easier to make," AND "this kind of art is cheaper because these artists can't force us to pay them correctly."
If you want something actionable to directly mitigate this,
READ THE CREDITS OF YOUR FAVORITE SHOW OR MOVIE AND FIND THE NAME OF AN ANIMATOR ON IT AND LOOK THEM UP AND TELL THEM WHAT A GOOD JOB THEY DID.
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