Doug Allen forced out of SAG posts

January 26, 2009 Screen Actors Guild national executive director and chief negotiator Doug Allen was summarily removed from his posts by board members critical of his handling of the guild's TV/theatrical contract negotiations. Just 16 hours after the guild's awards show, 8 to 10 board members from the guild's moderate majority, including reps from the L.A., New York and regional divisions, delivered to the guild's general counsel at L.A. headquarters a constitutionally valid "written assent" that allowed them to pass a resolution outside of the boardroom with a simple majority. Among the other planks of the assent: replacing Allen with former SAG general counsel David White as interim national executive director; naming guild senior adviser John McGuire as chief negotiator for all contracts, including the TV/theatrical contract in negotiation; and replacing the TV/theatrical negotiating committee with a task force, which will represent the board of directors.

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