Doug Allen, the national executive director and chief negotiator for the Screen Actors Guild, was terminated Monday, a move that union watchers noted as a sign that a strike by actors is now very unlikely.
According to Johnathan Handel, an entertainment lawyer who has been blogging on the strike, Allen's demise was brought about by a "written assent" by 52.5% of the 71-member national board of the union. The document, asking for his termination, was vetted by attorneys for the union, and the news delivered to Allen Jan. 26.
Allen's place will be taken immediately by a formers guild attorney, David White, according to Handel.
The negotiating committee for the union, which has been working without a contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers since last June, will now shrink to a 10-member task force, according to the Associated Press.
