David White named SAG interim boss

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 27 (UPI) -- Screen Actors Guild's new interim national executive director says he is deeply committed to serving the guild in a "particularly challenging" time for actors.

"National Board of Directors by written assent today terminated the employment of Doug Allen and appointed former guild general counsel David White to replace him as interim national executive director. The board further appointed longtime guild senior adviser John T. McGuire as chief negotiator," a statement posted on the SAG Web site Monday evening said. "The board also disbanded the TV/Theatrical Negotiating Committee and directed that it be replaced with a task force directed to complete these negotiations on behalf of the board of directors. All actions are effective immediately."

"This is a difficult time for Screen Actors Guild and a particularly challenging period for working actors," White said in a statement. "I am deeply committed to the guild and its members and I believe that, working with the national board, we can help guide this transition. I look forward to working closely with this talented and dedicated staff, many of whom I know well from my years as the guild's general counsel."

Allen, who served as both national executive director and chief negotiator of SAG until Monday, was criticized for his handling of contract negotiations between the guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers in recent months.

SAG and AMPTP's last contract expired June 30. The two entities have not been able to hammer out a new pact since, with many in the SAG membership blaming Allen for the stalemate.