Accord Reached in Radio, TV Ad Performers Strike

Negotiators for two major performers unions and the makers of television and radio commercials have reached tentative agreement on a new contract, possibly ending the 3-week-old strike, according to a union spokeswoman.

The settlement, details of which were not released, must be ratified by the East and West Coast memberships of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the Screen Actors Guild, according to AFTRA spokeswoman Dorothy Spears.

Officials Must Vote First

Management representatives--negotiators for the American Assn. of Advertising Agencies and the Assn. of National Advertisers--could not be reached for comment.

The unions, which represent a combined membership of 100,000 members, walked out March 21 in the first such strike in a decade.

Union directors are scheduled to meet Tuesday in Los Angeles and Thursday in New York. Once the top officials vote, the settlement must be ratified by union memberships, Spears said.

“No details of the settlement will be released until then,” Spears said. “Meanwhile, AFTRA and SAG members remain on strike.”

Members of SAG and AFTRA voted overwhelmingly March 2 to authorize a strike. The guild has jurisdiction over filmed commercials and AFTRA over live and taped ads.

SAG spokesman Mark Locker told United Press International that performers could be back to work by Friday if the agreement is ratified. Locher predicted the unions would ratify the pact, and said about 600 advertisers had approved the terms of the contract.

After reaching tentative agreements on working conditions and some basic wage issues, an impasse arose over two issues. Residual payments for performers whose commercials appear on cable television and a cost-of-living increase were the sticking points.

The sides returned to the bargaining table Wednesday.

Flat Fee of $1,000

Under the old contract, which expired in February, the advertiser paid a flat fee of $1,000 to reuse the commercial, and no further payment was due the performer for the ad’s broadcast on cable. The union asked for a payment for every showing, Shears said.

Ad makers had rejected the request, contending that the relatively small cable audience did not merit the full residuals being sought. They offered to pay performers a one-time session fee of $333.25 for 13 weeks of cable use. The union rejected the offer.

During the strike, the unions offered interim contracts to advertisers who agreed to abide by the performers’ contract proposals, which about 400 advertisers accepted, Shears said. She did not disclose the terms of the interim agreements.

The strike by performers in commercials was the second to hit the entertainment industry. The Writers Guild of America struck motion picture producers, studios and the three major television networks March 7. That walkout continues.