The Screen Actors Guild fired one of its top Latino execs last week, highlighting a continuing problem for the guild with its minority employees.
Hector Chavez was terminated Friday after six months as associate national director of human resources. Insiders said he was informed he was "not a good fit."
On the same day, SAG chief financial officer Francesca Hickson asked all 300 Hollywood employees via e-mail not to discuss the firing "out of respect for others."
In recent years, SAG has been hit with seven suits, most filed by execs, for wrongful termination based on racial discrimination. Several of those suits singled out former HR chief Linda Shick, who left her post in late 2001 and was replaced last year by Bethany Ellis.
SAG has reached settlements in five of the suits but remains in litigation with former affirmative action director Patricia Heisser Metoyer, who accused the guild of firing her in 2001 on bogus grounds after she accused SAG execs of discrimination and of overstating the number of minorities on guild staff.
Chavez was not available for comment but general counsel David White issued a statement: "Employee terminations are always a difficult decision. The guild is confident in its decision."
Contact Dave McNary at
dave.mcnary@variety.com