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Meredith Stiehm was re-elected WGA West president, defeating Rich Talarico in a landslide.
A total of 3,783 valid ballots were cast, and Stiehm received 3,354 of Talarico’s 300. Stiehm’s vice presidents were also easily elected. Michele Mulroney, a member of the Guild’s bargaining committee, was re-elected as vice president and Betsy Thomas was re-elected as vice president Secretary-Treasurer. Mulroney defeated Isaac Gómez, who currently serves as strike captain, by 3,235 votes to 411. Thomas defeated Jeffrey Thompson 3,182 to 421.
Stiehm’s re-election, which was effectively a referendum on the guild’s ongoing strike, comes the day before the Writers Guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers are scheduled to resume negotiations on a deal that, if successful, would spell the end of the WGA strike , which is already in its 141st day.
RELATED: WGA West President Meredith Stiehm says a “fair deal” for writers and actors that “shares the wealth” is the only way to end the ongoing strikes
If an agreement is not reached within eight days, the strike will become the second longest in the guild’s history and the longest in two weeks. The 1960 WGA strike lasted 148 days and the 1988 strike lasted 154 days. The ongoing strike is already 41 days longer than the guild’s last strike, which lasted 100 days in 2007-08. SAG-AFTRA, meanwhile, has been on strike since July 14.
Stiehm’s re-election and the election later this week of Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, who is running unopposed to become the next president of the WGA East, will mark a historic first in which the presidents of the WGA West, the WGA East, the Directors Guild and the SAG come together -AFTRA are all women. However, the chief executives of each guild were always men.
In her official candidate’s statement, posted July 25 on the guild’s election page, Stiehm — whose writers and producers include “Homeland,” “ER” and “Cold Case,” wrote: “We’re in one pretty difficult phase. A guild leader told me on May 2, 2023, “You are now a wartime president.” I do not take this lightly. A strike is a serious, difficult matter. And as of this writing, July 25th, it is still going on.”
Stiehm, one of the named plaintiffs in the WGA’s lawsuit that reshaped the talent agency business, wrote: “I came here primarily because of another war – so to speak – I was one of the leaders of the agency campaign in 2018. That was.” a long, hard battle, and we were repeatedly told that our goals were “impossible.” But they weren’t. We succeeded, and now we are true partners with our agents, just as we will be partners with the studios again when this strike is over. What I learned from this experience: Things are impossible until they aren’t.”
She added: “I know this moment can also feel impossible at times. It was a long, hot summer. But I see a solution. I know that we are on the right path and that it will lead to a stronger position. And we succeed.”
She then listed the reasons why the WGA is successful with its ongoing strike.
“We succeed because writers show up every day — on the picket lines, at rallies, online and for each other. Because the captains and pilot coordinators carry out their missions with cheerful efficiency and grace. Because members come up with new topic strikes every day, meet new friends, keep the faith and encourage each other.
“We are successful because of our senior management and board – they are committed, courageous and always go the extra mile. Because the Negotiating Committee is made up of a cutthroat group of smart, thoughtful executives who deeply understand and care about the dire situation authors find themselves in.
“We are successful because of the incredible staff at the Guild. They lead pickets, rallies and communications with calm, actionable competence. They organized a march of 4,000 people through the streets of LA and made it look easy. You were born for this work.
“We are succeeding because of our Supernova chief negotiator, Ellen Stutzman, and because of the two members at the forefront of this effort – ‘nice’ people who are secretly tough, co-chairs Chris Keyser and David Goodman.”
“And we are successful because we are aligned with the other Hollywood unions. We are friends and allies of the leaders of SAG-AFTRA, IATSE, LIUNA, AFM, DGA and of course the tough Teamsters. The partnership with our sister unions has changed the rules of the game. These alliances are so powerful and the solidarity is contagious. If you were at the Shrine on May 3rd, you know. The workforce is increasing.
“We all feel the strength of it, and companies feel it too.” They see you in your blue shirts from the windows of Netflix. They know they can’t do the job without you.”
“Now, with two strikes underway,” she wrote, “the only way back for the studios is to get a fair deal for writers and actors — one that shares the wealth with the people who create it.”
“When the strike is over, we will build on our good relationships with our sister unions. We will be there for them when they are in need, just as they have been for us. And we will restore our relationships with companies and continue doing the work we all love to do.
“I ran for president two years ago because I believe that ‘impossible’ things are possible. The MBA 2023 will be the next example of this. I believe in shooting high, speaking truth to power, and holding the line when necessary. I am guided by fairness and principles, and when it comes to fighting for a just cause, I am tireless. Or as my husband says: ‘Stubborn as shit’.”
Talarico, a Peabody Award winner and four-time Emmy nominated writer and producer who is perhaps best known for his work on Comedy Central’s “Key & Peele,” was selected by the guild’s nominating committee to face Stiehm. Talarico, who has fought for years against a contract provision that allows the “sustained and sustained misuse” of five-minute television commercial clips, said in his campaign statement that the misuse of those clips “significantly affects the potential compensation of writers.” .”
On Key & Peele, he wrote, “We have accumulated billions of views of ad clips while receiving checks for pennies on the dollar in compensation because these ‘ads’ are actually choking out compensable platforms.” He likened these commercial clips to a visit to Panda Express, “where the manager offers chicken on a toothpick to entice a purchase,” he wrote: “Studios should avoid inundating potential customers with endless free samples without paying the writers.” Such practices deter viewers from to pay for the complete menu. While the minimum basic agreement does not specify the number of uploads permitted, the contract language may not have intended this endless oversaturation of “promotional” clips without paying the authors. Writers were hired to create television shows, not endless web shows disguised as “advertising.”
In the election of eight board members, incumbent Adam Conover received the most votes (2,667), followed by incumbents Nicole Yorkin (2,511), Dailyn Rodriguez (2,342), Zoe Marshall (2,328) and Dante W. Harper (2,084). Newly elected to the board were Molly Nussbaum (1,551), Scott Alexander (1,464) and Rob Forman (1,285).
All incumbents won re-election, including three officers and five board members.