Screen Actors Guild Boots Their Negotiator

Doug Allen has been the executive director for the Screen Actors Guild since 2006 and was the man tapped to lead the very tense contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers. With Allen at the helm, strike talk went from rumor to a proposed vote. Now, moderate members of the largest actors union are calling for Allen to be removed from his post. With his potential ouster, much of the strike talks are dissipating too. The drama has continued to escalate within SAG, with membership bitterly divided on a course of action for over six months. While many on the SAG board in Hollywood are pushing for the hard-line strike approach, the New York chapter is passionately opposed to the heavy-handed tactics.

Those within the SAG board calling for Allen's removal claim that his mishandling of the negotiations have been a major factor in the stalemate. The proposed resolution doesn't stop there though. It calls for a brand new group to handle negotiations with AMPTP.

The politicking within SAG is looking like a parody of Congress at its worst, complete with filibusters, blacklisting, and even the dredging up of the most mundane and prickly procedures. Top it all off with a claim by some on the SAG board that members who do not support Allen and the current position are disloyal and you have a recipe for a movie of the week.

Without the threat of a work stoppage, SAG is left with few options except to send the AMPTP offer to the membership body for a vote. The current talks within the SAG board are a series of stalling tactics. If Allen keeps his job, the strike vote can move forward.

Regardless of the outcome, Doug Allen has become the face of SAG's strike threats and hard-line stance. It appears that if Allen is removed, SAG has a great chance to start fresh in their contract negotiations with the big studios and avert a strike.