SAG-AFTRA Ends Industrial Action After Nearly a Year of Strikes

After 11 months of industrial action, SAG-AFTRA, the union representing over 160,000 media professionals, including actors and voiceover artists, has officially ended its strike. The decision comes after the union failed to reach an agreement with the bargaining group last July, prompting a strike over concerns related to AI technologies in the industry. Despite initial disagreements with video game publishers, a tentative agreement has now been reached, and the national executive director has suspended the strike against companies under the Interactive Media Agreement, effective as of noon PT on June 11. As a result, all SAG-AFTRA members are instructed to resume work on productions under the IMA, with the board set to review the tentative agreement in a special session. Once approved, the agreement will be put to a membership vote, with details to be released at that time. This development follows the union's recent filing of an unfair labor practice charge against Llama Productions and Epic Games for their use of AI in portraying a character in Fortnite.