Back in early November 2015, the Screen Actors Guild took to Twitter and wrote a blog post taking Droga5 to task for working with non-union actors. The organization wrote: "Some agencies have a
double standard. They pay market rates for union directors, actors and crews -- when they need to. Other times, they're hiring nonprofessional actors and paying substandard wages without benefits to
them, while working with union crews."
Droga5 defended their modus operandi and said in a statement: "At Droga5 we are not signatory to the SAG commercials contract and are within
our rights to engage in non-union shoots. However, we always use SAG performers in the SAG productions we manage, which include any commercial for a SAG-signatory client or feature any SAG celebrity
talent. In those instances we abide by SAG rules and pay SAG wages across the board. We do not use SAG performers in non-union productions."
Well, SAG was going to have none of that and they
have escalated things with a stunt they have planned for Tuesday, January 12. SAG plans to hand deliver to Droga5's doorstep in lower Manhattan a petition signed by 8,000 SAG members demanding
that Droga5 "stop undermining the industry standards that ensure commercial performers can earn a middle-class living."
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In the petition, SAG will ask Droga5 to live up to its promise of being
"humanity obsessed" by adhering to SAG standards and cease paying actors what SAG calls "substandard wages" and ask that the agency pay proper benefits as well.
The petition delivery action is
part of a larger SAG initiative launched in late 2015 that calls out Droga5 -- and other digital ad agencies -- for unfair hiring practices and substandard working conditions that SAG says harm
performers.
In one small counterpoint to SAG's argument that agencies should use union actors, actor James Ivan tweeted, "@sagaftra but you must leave room for non-union actors to make a living since it's so difficult and expensive to
join the union."
Hmm. Good point, right?