USA: AN AGREEMENT HAS BEEN REACHED BETWEEN STRIKING ACTORS AND ADVERTISING INDUSTRY REPRESENTATIVES

Record ID: 390369

  • Title: USA: AN AGREEMENT HAS BEEN REACHED BETWEEN STRIKING ACTORS AND ADVERTISING INDUSTRY REPRESENTATIVES
  • Date: 23rd October 2000
  • Summary: PAN ACTORS SINGING NATIONAL ANTHEM
  • Embargoed: 7th November 2000 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Entertainment,Economy
  • Reuters ID: LVA9PP95F2AIWI04R4AM23YHL3UI
  • Story Text: A tentative agreement has been reached between striking actors and advertising industry representatives to end the longest talent strike in Hollywood history.
    Striking Hollwood stars say they've settled their differences with the advertising industry over payment for broadcast, cable, and internet commercials, ending a six-month strike - the longest in Hollywood history.
    At a press conference in New York, representatives from AFTRA - the American Federation of Television & Radio Artists - and the Screen Actors Guild said they had reached agreement between their 135,000 union members and the advertising industry, a dispute that had been going on since May 1 Both sides had said they were nearing a deal when the federally mediated negotiations fell apart on Sept. 27.
    Major differences over the pay-for-play formula, used since the 1950s to compensate actors for network commercials based on the number of times those ads are broadcast, were narrowed during the last round of talks.
    William Daniels, president of the Screen Actors Guild welcomed the deal. Said Daniels, "Our membership has every reason to be happy about this agreement."
    The ad industry, represented by the American Association of Advertising Agencies and the Association of National Advertisers, backed off its demand to do away with residuals for network television ads.
    The actors dropped a demand for expanding network-style residuals to cable ads, a move the industry vehemently opposed.
    But advertisers rejected a union proposal for a new, three-tier system of buyout payments.
    The two sides also remained at odds over compensation for ads made exclusively for the Internet.
    Actor Richard Dreyfuss says the agreement was a good one for both actors and for the union, "We got the raise we needed to get to put people back to work.
    "We protected the union membership in terms of pay,"
    said Dreyfuss.
    The actors announced a consumer boycott of three Procter & Gamble brands on Oct. 10 because the company has used nonunion actors to make commercials.
    P&G is one of the US's biggest advertisers. Several of its brands generate annual sales of $1 billion or more, including Tide detergent, Pampers disposable diapers and Folgers coffee, a company spokesman said.
    The boycott was being supported by the AFL-CIO, the umbrella labor organization with 13.5 million members nationwide.
    Advertisers have taken their productions outside of New York and Los Angeles to avoid picket lines and other job actions.
    The talks that began last week were the fourth attempt to resolve the strike since the unions walked out on May 1.
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