New SAG Race Is On

From:E!online
Date:Jul 22, 2005
by Josh Grossberg


After two consecutive terms heading up Hollywood's actor's union, Melissa Gilbert is calling it a day.

The former Little House on the Prairie star announced on Thursday that she will not seek a third term as president of the Screen Actors Guild after three contentious years that Gilbert herself acknowledged were marked by bitter internal feuding.

"It is no big secret that there are problems within the leadership of SAG. There are rifts that may very well be irreparable," the 41-year-old actress said in a statement. "All of that aside, I still believe the Screen Acto's Guild was, is and will always be the most powerful performers union in the world and I want the future leaders of my beloved union to know that I will be watching them--like a hawk."

Gilbert's exit sets up what is likely to be a tough election campaign between at least three high-profile thespians: Wild Wild West man Robert Conrad, '80s TV siren Morgan Fairchild and Alan Rosenberg, the 54-year-old actor-hubby of CSI star Marg Helgenberger.

"It might be a dogfight, but I will do my best to keep things civil," Rosenberg, who also serves on the SAG national board, told the Los Angeles Times. "It's impossible to get anything accomplished unless we speak with one voice."

"We have to quit fighting each other and fight for our members," said Fairchild, 55, also a board member. "I'm trying to get unity back into this union."

If there's anything they can all agree on, it's that the SAG presidency is a pretty thankless gig--lots of hard work for no pay. The president is charged with serving as the face of the union when it comes to contract negotiations, ensuring its 120,000 dues-paying members get their of residuals, lobbying states for production incentives to curb runaway production, and fighting against piracy.

Gilbert, who shot to fame playing Laura Ingalls Wilder on Little House, defeated former Rhoda star Valerie Harper in a disputed election in 2002 to become the 23rd president in SAG's 72 year history, following the likes of Ronald Reagan and Charlton Heston. She was only the third female to hold the post.

But the former child star was unable to achieve many of her stated goals. Gilbert hails from a moderate wing of the guild called Restore Respect, which favors negotiations and compromise over more aggressive tactics. On her watch, the guild failed to win a dues increase, and one of her signature proposals--a merger of SAG with the smaller American Federation of Television and Radio Artists union--fell short of the necessary 60 percent member approval by a slim 2 percent.

She did actress successfully led SAG to negotiate a solid increase in film and TV contracts with Hollywood studios and producers and she scored higher earnings for the guild's health and pension plans. She reorganized field offices to reduce costs and rein in deficit spending. Gilbert also helped strengthen protections for child actors.

Gilbert is scheduled to step down Sept. 23. Voting for the new SAG boss will take place next month once ballots are mailed out to union members.

From E! Online