SAG CLOSES IN ON AN AGREEMENT, BUT THE INFIGHTING CONTINUES.

SAG's civil war rages on
Rosenberg blasts board's moderates
By DAVE MCNARY




Rosenberg vows defiance over deal
HOLLYWOOD -- The infighting at SAG just won't stop.
Even as the guild closes in on an agreement to end its long-running contract drama with the majors, Screen Actors Guild prexy Alan Rosenberg has taken the unusual step of blasting his political opponents via the official SAG Screen Actor magazine.

The quarterly publication, usually dominated by positive articles about the guild, began arriving this week in members' mailboxes. In it Rosenberg blisters the yet-to-be-concluded deal and its proponents -- who gained control of the board last fall by a slim majority.

"I truly believe we would have had a deal last summer if this faction had not undermined our efforts and de-leveraged us against our real opponent: management," Rosenberg said.

The vituperative tone of the letter is likely to inflame an already volatile environment among those seeking Hollywood slots during the upcoming SAG elections. Rosenberg has not yet indicated if he'll seek a third two-year term as president.

In his letter Rosenberg slams the moderate faction of SAG's national board over its Jan. 26 firing of Doug Allen as SAG national exec director and passionately defends the former SAG topper.

"For me, this will always be Screen Actors Guild's darkest hour and the day in history that Screen Actors Guild lost residuals and meaningful wages and working conditions for new media," Rosenberg wrote. "Consider for a moment that Doug was forced out for being 'too militant,' a label often applied to good, strong, passionate labor leaders throughout the world."

New York board member Paul Christie responded by referring to Rosenberg's performance of a song mocking opponents a few days after Allen was fired.

"This period of time has been humiliating for the Screen Actors Guild," Christie said. "None of us have taken any pleasure in watching Alan self-destruct publicly, and we had all hoped his singing YouTube fiasco would be the end of it. These are times in your life you hope you have one decent friend left who will tell you 'Enough, stop, you are destroying your personal and professional reputation, STOP.' Instead Alan continues to act out in Nero-esque proportions while the Guild burns around him."

The missive comes with Rosenberg's hardline Membership First faction vowing to oppose ratification of any deal. Recent back-channel talks between SAG toppers and the CEOs may lead to a tentative agreement soon on the film-TV pact -- which expired on June 30 -- though no official announcement has been made.

The moderates fired Allen on the grounds that he had bungled SAG's negotiations, defied the will of the board and left members without a new feature-primetime contract.

Rosenberg made no mention in the letter to members that he had led a 28-hour filibuster to block the moderates from firing Allen, nor did he refer to the unsuccessful lawsuit he filed to reinstate Allen and the negotiating committee.

Instead, Rosenberg blamed elected reps from outside Hollywood, noting that most SAG members and jobs are in the Los Angeles area. But he did not acknowledge that his Membership First faction lost its board majority due to gains by the moderates in Hollywood including Amy Brenneman and Adam Arkin.

"A slim majority of members, most of whom have not worked much as professional actors, and do not live in Los Angeles, hold a slight majority and call the shots for those who are working and who rely on SAG wages and residuals to support their families," Rosenberg said in the letter.

The tone of Rosenberg's letter contrasted sharply with missives from both his ally, First VP Anne-Marie Johnson, and his opponent, New York president Sam Freed.

Johnson, who's been rumored as a presidential candidate, noted she was "disheartened" by Allen's firing and the dismissal of the negotiating committee. "Have these changes produced a better contract and inner union security," she asked. "No. But it is what it is."

For his part, Freed said the decision over Allen's firing wasn't made easily and added, "In spite of disagreements, it is my