The loyal opposition to former Screen Actors Guild (SAG) president Melissa Gilbert has taken the seat of power at the union. Actor Alan Rosenberg has been elected the 24th president of SAG, succeeding Gilbert who had decided not to seek re-election. Rosenberg garnered nearly 40 percent of the nationwide vote among the Guild’s general members, handily defeating Morgan Fairchild–a Gilbert ally who received some 34 percent of the vote–and independent candidate Robert Conrad, with 25 percent.
Making Rosenberg’s win all the more resounding was the fact that his group, Membership First, fortified its position on the national board by winning 10 of the 11 open seats in SAG’s Hollywood division. The national board sets policy for the union.
Rosenberg has been consistently critical of Gilbert’s administration. He ran on the promise that he would be tougher in negotiations with management, contending that agreements reached during Gilbert’s tenure fell short of what actors deserved in terms of recompense and benefits. He cited in particular the failure to gain proper residuals for DVD sales during the last contract hammered out with the major feature/TV studios.
Upon being elected to a two-year term as SAG president, Rosenberg issued a statement which read in part, “Our employers must understand that we will aggressively protect the interests of working performers–and we will not yield on residuals. The coming months are going to be particularly challenging as we negotiate new Basic Cable Agreements, prepare for the renegotiation of the Commercials Contract [next year] and continue to work towards a solution to the impasse with talent agents.”
With Gilbert as president, SAG reached agreement with the advertising industry on a contract in relatively short order, well in advance of the expiration of the previous pact. But under her predecessor, president William Daniels–who campaigned on the pledge of being a tough negotiator seeking further concessions from management–SAG struck against advertisers in 2000. That acrimonious six-month walkout arguably further fueled runaway spot production to foreign countries.
Membership First candidate Connie Stevens will serve under Rosenberg as SAG secretary-treasurer, the union’s second highest elected position. Stevens received 68 percent-plus of the vote, easily outdistancing Fairchild ticket candidate Lee Garlington, who received just under 32 percent. Stevens succeeds James Cromwell, a Gilbert ally, who did not seek re-election.
