Unfair Practice Complaint Filed Against Actors

The war between the advertising industry and striking actors escalated Tuesday, with ad agencies filing federal unfair labor practice complaints against the actors’ union for allegedly threatening to permanently ban from the union any actors who appear in commercials during the strike.

The Screen Actors Guild immediately fired back, with its chief negotiator John McGuire calling the allegations “groundless and without merit.” He also said the union would be filing its own set of labor complaints against the agencies later this week.

Such filings with the National Labor Relations Board by unions and management are relatively common tactical moves during a strike. Filings don’t necessarily mean the NLRB will issue charges.

In Tuesday’s filing, a committee representing the Assn. of National Advertisers and the American Assn. of Advertising Agencies also accused the union of illegally demanding that its commercials contract be expanded to cover commercials shot in Canada and Mexico.

Members of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists went on strike against ad agencies Monday in a dispute mainly about how actors will be paid for work in radio and TV commercials. The strike marks the first walkout in 12 years and portends more labor tensions ahead for Hollywood.

Actors, who believe they should reap more from the boom in cable TV and other markets, want to be paid each time a commercial is shown on cable TV just as they are paid residuals when an ad runs on network television.

The advertising agencies, arguing that the fragmentation of TV audiences means commercials must run more often, want actors to accept a flat fee for commercials shown on cable TV and on networks.

A Nike commercial starring golfer Tiger Woods that had been scheduled for Tuesday became the first ad to be postponed because of the strike.