Tentative Deal in Actors' Strike
L O S A N G E L E S, Oct. 23 -- Nearly six months into a strike by commercialactors, negotiators for advertisers and the actors’ unions reacheda tentative contract agreement late Sunday night, the unions said.
If a joint board of the Screen Actors Guild and the AmericanFederation of Television and Radio Artists endorses the deal onSaturday, actors could be back at work as early as Oct. 30, SAGspokesman Greg Krizman said.
Details of the agreement were to be released at a newsconference today, Krizman said.
Waiting for Approval
A message left late Sunday for a spokeswoman for the Associationof National Advertisers was not returned, and the home number foran attorney representing the ANA and the American Association ofAdvertising Agencies was busy.
Commercial actors in SAG and AFTRA, which have a combinedmembership of 135,000, went on strike May 1, seeking to protectresiduals, or fees paid each time a radio or television commercialis broadcast on a major network. Advertisers want to replaceresiduals with flat-fee payments.
The tentative deal was reached during negotiations in New Yorkthat had been going on since Thursday, said AFTRA spokeswoman PammFair. She said the agreement ultimately will require approval ofunion members.
The strike, affecting only radio and TV commercials, was thefirst major Hollywood walkout in 12 years.
The Toll
The advertising industry has said its ad production remainedsteady with the use of nonunion performers. However, automakersrecently complained the strike made preparations for the launchtheir 2001 models more difficult.
The commercial actors have drawn the support of high-profilemovie and TV actors, including Michael J. Fox and Golden Girlsactress Estelle Getty, who have joined pickets outside commercialshoots. During the Emmy Awards last month, actors including MartinSheen, Kelsey Grammer and Jennifer Aniston wore yellow ribbonsshowing their support for their often anonymous colleagues.
