After a six-month strike against commercial advertising interests, the joint boards of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the American Federation of Radio and Television Artists (AFTRA) have voted to return to work. A source in SAG's commercial department confirmed that a "back-to-work order" has been issued, effective Mon., Oct. 30. Union leadership met over the weekend at the Sheraton Universal Hotel in Los Angeles, where the decision to end the strike was made.

The memberships of both unions will be asked to vote on the proposed settlement between the unions and the advertisers. The new contract gives the actors' unions jurisdiction over the Internet, and an overall gain of approximately 8.5 percent over the life of the three-year contract.

-- By Murdoch McBride