The Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Arts (SAG-AFTRA) union is now on strike, instructing its members with film and TV contracts to stop working.

After more than four weeks of negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP)—which represents more than 350 studios and streamers such as Walt Disney Studios, Paramount and Netflix—ended without a contract, SAG-AFTRA declared the strike, which started at 12:01 a.m. PT today.

SAG-AFTRA represents around 160,000 TV and film actors who are striking because they want higher wages, an increase in residuals, protections from AI, and a shift away from actors having to self-tape their auditions (because it puts costs onto actors), said Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA’s national executive director and chief negotiator at a press conference yesterday.

The list of work that actors must not perform during the strike includes acting, singing, puppeteering, doing performance capture or motion-capture work. Behind-the-camera work being stopped includes voice acting, singing, and publicity for shows and films. Agents also have to hit pause on any ongoing negotiations with studios, streamers and networks for any of the services that are being withheld during the strike.

The strike—which comes as the 11,000-member strong Writers Guild of America is also striking—brings the US entertainment industry to a complete halt. The last time both of these unions were on strike at the same time was in 1960.

Production orgs around the world are releasing notices on how the SAG-AFTRA strike affects business, with Screen Producers Australia noting that it will affect some scripted TV and feature films produced locally. A limited number of Australian projects produced internationally will also be affected.

In the UK, the actors union Equity (SAG-AFTRA’s sister union) is standing in solidarity with the US organization. However, SAG-AFTRA performers in the UK who join the strike will have no protection against being dismissed or sued for breaching contracts, and Equity recommends that they continue working (Under UK law, SAG-AFTRA can’t discipline its member actors who keep working in the UK). Equity is planning rallies in the coming weeks to show its support for the US union.

Similarly, performers under an existing contract in Canada have a legal obligation to to work and won’t be asked by SAG-AFTRA to withhold work, according to Canada’s media union ACTRA. New feature films, new scripted TV and productions that AMPTP members are producing will be halted.

Toronto-based prodco marblemedia—the company behind kids and family shows such as All-Round Champion and Overlord and the Underwoods—isn’t affected by the strike yet, but it has a game plan going forward.

“We are monitoring the situation very closely to better understand the potential implications for our productions,” marblemedia’s co-CEO Mark Bishop tells Kidscreen. “All of our current productions are being produced here in Canada, under ACTRA jurisdiction. For any SAG-AFTRA talent we work with, we will abide by whatever is determined by ACTRA. We are hopeful that everyone can get back to the bargaining table to find a speedy resolution.”