After months of escalations, SAG-AFTRA, the nation’s union for screen actors, and the Joint Policy Committee on Broadcasting—which represents advertising agencies—have agreed to a short-term contract extension until 11:59 p.m. ET, Tuesday, April 2, as both parties continue to negotiate over union demands for actors in commercials.
In September, SAG-AFTRA launched a strike campaign against the bicoastal agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty LLC (BBH). The prolonged strike appears to be a warning shot for SAG-AFTRA’s Ads Go Union campaign, which was expected to manifest in a large-scale strike in March when the Commercials Contract agreement between the union and 600 ad agencies expired. The short-term extension allows more time for negotiators to agree on terms.
READ: What Nonunion Actors Should Know About Union Strikes
At the heart of SAG-AFTRA’s ad activism is an alarm that advertising agencies are hiring more nonunion laborers as new digital medias manifest (allowing for producers to bend around labor agreements). The Ads Go Union campaign has been picking up speed since last year with endorsements from sibling unions like Actors’ Equity and American powerhouse unions like the Teamsters. Union member celebrities like Bryan Cranston, Henry Winkler, and J.K. Simmons have also stepped in front of the camera to support the drive and testify towards the importance of ad work for an actor’s financial sustainability.
Currently, both SAG-AFTRA and the JPC are committing to a mutually agreed upon media blackout. Be sure to check Backstage for more details on this developing story.
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