Alan Rosenberg elected SAG president

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 24 (UPI) -- Alan Rosenberg has been elected president of the Screen Actors Guild, to succeed Melissa Gilbert, who has served as SAG president since 2001.

The union announced late Friday that Rosenberg received 39.99 percent of the votes cast in a national election. Morgan Fairchild received 34.72 percent of the vote and Robert Conrad polled 25.29 percent.

"I ran a campaign that offered a simple and straightforward promise: I will fight like hell to get actors their fair share," said Rosenberg. "For working actors the stakes have never been higher. Our employers must understand that we will aggressively protect the interests of working performers -- and we will not yield on residuals."

During the next few months, SAG will negotiate a new contract for basic cable and prepare to renegotiate a contract covering commercials.

SAG also said Connie Stevens was elected secretary-treasurer, succeeding James Cromwell, who did not run for re-election.

Rosenberg and Stevens are scheduled to begin serving a two-year term on Sept. 25.