2ND UPDATE: The SAG board meeting is now going into a marathon 24-hour session. Variety and other news outlets have finally backed off their erroneous Doug Allen-is-ousted story. But its headline is still posted on Variety‘s website. And the story was published in Variety‘s print edition. And Dave McNary still has his job there. Since I just arrived back in Los Angeles after 12 days on personal leave, I need some more reporting time before I weigh in on what’s happening.

varietyno.JPGUPDATE: As of 3 AM, the SAG board meeting was still going on…

I just got off a plane and onto the telephone to learn that the Screen Actors Guild is asking for retractions from several media including Variety for what I’m told is an inaccurate story posted on the trade’s website and probably in Tuesday’s published edition. I have confirmed that there has been no vote yet today on whether to remove Doug Allen, who is SAG’s National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator from his position with the big actors union. That doesn’t mean this can’t or won’t happen, or that the subject wasn’t discussed. Because the board is still meeting even at this late hour. But sources tell me that the National Board went into executive session Monday and no vote by 11 PM has taken place on this or any other important matters before SAG having to do with the conduct of the negotiations with Big Media’s AMPTP or the Strike Authorization Vote previously approved by the panel. The only votes earlier today were “housekeeping matters,” I’m assured. When Variety‘s Dave McNary posted his story earlier today under the headline, “SAG’s Doug Allen Out As Negotiator” claiming that “a badly split SAG national board has removed national exec director Doug Allen as the guild’s lead negotiator” and it “occurred Monday afternoon at an emergency meeting of SAG’s national board”, it was wrong. I hear the guild asked McNary for a correction, but he refused. I’m told that Allen’s ouster cannot happen without a board vote, and there has been none yet on this matter. Further, another of my sources explains that ”there is a ‘motion’ before the board to remove Allen as chief negotiator but not National Executive Director. Problem is Allen’s contract guarantees that Allen can do both jobs so if the motion succeeds, Allen might be entitled to damages and/or a buyout under the contract.” I have previously reported on McNary’s many inaccuracies covering both the WGA and SAG labor negotiations.

  1. SAG Denies Variety’s Latest Fabrication
  2. Another Variety Anti-WGA Slanted Article
  3. Variety’s Strike Disinformation Campaign
  4. WGAW Says Variety Scoop Has No Reality

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