-SAG/AFTRA Rally & March-

Date: September 13, 2000
Location: Outside BBD & O Advertising Building
Address: 1285 Avenue of the Americas between 51st and 52nd Streets, New York City
Time: 11 PM
March: To the GM office and around the building (Building with FAO Swartz)
Time: 12-2 PM
Presented By: The Screen Actors Guild & the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists

Guest Speakers:: SUSAN SARANDAN; PAUL NEWMAN; RICHARD DREYFUSS; TIM ROBBINS; OLYMPIA DUKAKIS; KEVIN BACON; CELESTE HOLM; TREAT WILLIAMS; JOHN LEGUIZAMO; CLAUDIA SHEAR; SKIPP SUDDUTH; ELI WALLACH; MICHELLE HURD; MICHAEL BEACH; And a few more...

Apperances by:: CHARLOTTE D'AMBOISE; MARY-LOUISE PARKER; ANA GASTEYER; STEVE BUSCEMI; MARISA TOMEI; JAMES GANDOLFINI; And more...

Purpose: Our national day of action against GM. Actors on strike for a fair contract.

Those on strike marched around block of the GM office buildling wearing "Proud Union Actor" t-shirts and gold ribbions, carrying picket signs, and chanting. One side of the sign said, "It pays to use union talent," while the other stated, "Without union talent, commercials suck." On the march to the GM office, we chanted: "What do we want?" "Contracts!" "When do we want them?" "Now!" While marching around the building for two hours, chants varied from "Actors need a living, too. General Motors, shame on you." to "We're the faces, we're the voice, we're the people's only choice." to "We are union. We are proud. We are angry. We are loud."

Actors represent 1.4% of the cost of a commercial.

Ad industry profits have grown 22% in ONE year.

Advertising revenue on Cable TV alone is up 31%--billions and billions of dollars.

Advertisers want to cut out salaries by 50%.

We've been on strike since May 1st--136 days--5 months!

In a time of unprecedented profits, advertisers are trying to rollback our salaries and break our unions!

These advertisers, which we are boycotting, include:: GENERAL MOTORS; AT & T; PROCTOR AND GAMBLE; COCA-COLA (includes DR. PEPPER, SPRITE, and more); NIKE; BUDWEISER; McDONALDS; OLD SPICE; COLGATE; KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN; And more...

Some facts about the strike against the advertising industry:

SAG & AFTRA's policy, as supported by National Labor Law, is the following: Our unions may bar from membership anyonw whose actions are deemed detrimental to the union. The consequences for performing struck work are very severe (for our own members who scab as well!)

If your agent or a casting director calls you to audition for a commercial, and you are unsure if it is struck work: the best way to know FOR SURE is to check with the SAG Commercial Department at 827-1455 or AFTRA (for Radio) at 532-0800.

If you have information on a SAG or AFTRA member who may have taken struck work, please contact Strike Headquarters or SAG for a "Rule 1 violation form." We will also take information on non-union scabs.

What you can do to help:

We ask you to help spread the word so that we are all united in this struggle. Tell your companies that, as actors, we must stand together so that we can win. It is our unions' strength and protection that will help take this profession into the new century. This is not rhetoric--this is a very real struggle for our way of life!

If you are heading out of town to work, know that commercial producers are setting up their shoots further outside LA, New York, and Chicago. And they view the talent at regional theatre companies ripe for "poaching" (i.e. persuading union and non-union performers to cross the picket line).

Advertisers are trying to turn a career into a hobby!
So many actors subsidize a life in the theatre through their work in commercials.

Together we can stop them!

-Articles-

SAG/AFTRA Strike Meeting
Paul Newman Forms Celebrity Committee to Support SAG/AFTRA Strike