The actors who pitch everything from soap to soft drinks on television and radio, often seen as the less glamorous members of the entertainment industry, went on strike Monday against the advertising industry.

The strike by members of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, the first work stoppage in Hollywood in 12 years, is not expected to be settled easily or quickly. It may signal further Hollywood labor unrest.

At the heart of the strike is a desire by actors to end the flat-fee system for ads that air on cable television. The union is seeking payments for the actors whenever an ad airs on cable, just as they are paid residuals whenever a network commercial runs. The actors also want to address the fledging issue of how they will be paid when ads run on the Internet.

Ad industry negotiators counter that the splintering of TV audiences that has occurred with the proliferation of new channels means ads have to run more often to reach the same number of people, even on the major networks. So the old formula is unworkable, they argue, and instead they want actors to accept a flat fee for their work.

SAG estimates that 40,000 of its 97,000 members have appeared in commercials, earning a total of about $600 million annually.

Although some celebrities and sports stars enjoy lucrative endorsement contracts--actress Lindsay Wagner, for example, receives $600,000 to $700,000 as the spokeswoman for Southern California Ford dealers--the union argues that the vast majority of commercial actors barely make a living, or have to hold down other jobs to make ends meet.

Actor Gary Epp, who has appeared in commercials for such products as Thomas English Muffins and Motrin, said he makes between $5,000 and $8,000 per commercial, depending on how often the spots air.

"In a good year, I get four or five commercials, which is more than the average actor does. It probably pays more to make the French fries at McDonald's than it does to make the McDonald's commercials," he said.

Late Monday, actors scored their first victory when they got a Nike commercial featuring golfer Tiger Woods--a SAG member--postponed indefinitely. Actors had threatened to picket the Florida country club where the commercial was to have been filmed.

James Bates