Actors picket Portland ad agencies

Though far from the centers of their nationwide strike, union actors in Portland are waging a picketing campaign against ad agencies that refuse to break ranks with the struck American Association of Advertising Agencies.

Members of two unions, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), have been on strike since May 1 against the association, meaning no union actor may film new commercials with struck agencies, or give permission for old ads to be rebroadcast.

The key issue of the strike is fairness in pay. The union wants actors to be paid every time their work is used, regardless of the medium it is used in - television, cable, or the internet. Currently, actors are paid per use for television ads, but they're paid a flat rate for cable, and no set formula for internet use. The union also wants to set up a monitoring system to make sure actors are in fact being paid every time their ads are broadcast. The industry association has refused to agree on any of these issues, and is insisting that the existing "pay-per-play" system in television be replaced with a flat rate for unlimited use, thereby eliminating an important previous gain by the union.

The two unions report very solid support from members for the strike - 93 percent of the membership voted to strike, and very few of the unions' 135,000 striking members have crossed picket lines to do struck work.

To divide the ad association, the unions are appealing to individual agencies to sign "interim agreements" containing the provisions the unions are demanding. Agencies that sign the agreements are allowed to resume filming of commercials with union actors. Within two weeks of the beginning of the strike, 564 such agreements were signed.

The overwhelming majority of ads are filmed in Los Angeles, New York, or Chicago. Portland SAG/AFTRA is picketing local ad agencies hoping to counter any attempt to ship work up from Los Angeles, said Portland SAG/AFTRA Executive Director Stuart Pemble-Belkin.

SAG and AFTRA tried to merge, without success. Still, they work closely together; in Oregon and Washington, Pemble-Belkin is head of both locals, which have a total membership of 850.

About 20 actors have taken part in the Portland pickets. Wieden & Kennedy has been picketed over a dozen times, most notably at a gala party at its new Pearl District office.

Gerber Advertising & Public Relations, Moffatt-Rosenthal Advertising, and Sears & Roebuck have also been targeted.

Several local companies have signed interim agreements, including Digital One and Rex Recording & Video Post.

Nationally, a number of important advertisers have signed, including Ford Motor Company and the media consulting firms representing both major presidential campaigns.

Because of the nature of the workforce, the strike has also won support from innumerable celebrities, including Ben Affleck, Steven Seagall, Jennifer Aniston, Liam Neeson, Lauren Bacall, Harvey Keitel, Antonio Banderas, Melanie Griffith, and Charlton Heston.

The National Football League Players Association, the National Basketball Players Association and the Major League Baseball Players Association have voted support for the strike. And on May 2, golf star Tiger Woods cancelled his appearance in a commercial shoot. Later that month, Atlanta Hawks star Dikembe Mutombo refused to shoot an ad that would have paid him in the six-figure range.

Several celebrities have violated the ban on filming commercials, earning the enmity of the strikers, most notably Colin Powell and Shaquille O'Neal.