Rosie's Pro-Labor Stance

By Stephen M. Silverman

07/24/1998 at 12:00 AM EDT

In the midst of the current actors strike against the advertising industry, Rosie O'Donnell has followed a suggestion given to her by veteran actress Celeste Holm ("All About Eve"): She's asked her TV show's sponsors not to run commercials made with nonunion actors. O'Donnell called up Procter & Gamble, Kellogg's and General Motors with the request, reports The New York Times. "I have given my total support to the actors," Rosie, speaking through her spokeswoman said, adding that she also asked the corporate giants "to go back to the negotiating table" to try to settle the strike. Now in its 20th week, the walkout by the 135,000 members of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists involves how actors are paid for appearing in commercials, some of which are still being made in defiance of the work stoppage. "If the union asked (Rosie) to go on strike, she would," spokeswoman Lois Smith told The Times. "She's very aware of the percentage of people . . . who depend on commercials for their living."