Meredith Stiehm was easily re-elected president of WGA West on Tuesday, as the writers guild is willing to resume negotiations with the big studios in the middle of a strike that lasts more than 140 days.
Stiehm, creator and executive producer of the CBS series “Cold Case” and writer and executive producer of the acclaimed Showtime drama “Homeland”, has been president since 2021.
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He ran against comedy writer Rich Talarico, who ran on the platform of having the WGA bring more transparency to Hollywood accounting practices and make studios more responsible for withholding money from writers. Talarico’s writing credits include the comedy series “Key & Peele” and “Mad TV.”
Stiehm received 89% of the votes cast in the election.
Stiehm was one of the leaders during the WGA dispute against talent agencies several years ago over packaging fees and its ownership of manufacturing companies, which the union denounced as conflicts of interest. In 2019, writers They fired their agents in an effort that resulted in agencies ending their practice of collecting fees from studios for packaging writers with other talent for films and television shows. The agencies also agreed to significantly reduce their stakes in affiliated production companies.
Stiehm acknowledged on his candidacy website that the strike is “something serious and heavy” that is not taken lightly. But, he said, he learned through his experience in the interagency fight that “things are impossible until they aren’t.”
“I believe in shooting high, speaking truth to power, and holding the line when necessary,” Stiehm wrote on the site. “I am guided by justice and principles, and if there is a confrontation for a just cause, I am tireless.”
The WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents major entertainment companies, will meet Wednesday to continue negotiations. The last time the two sides met on August 22 went poorly, and was followed by the AMPTP publicly publishing a summary of its previous proposal. Some writers and industry observers saw that move as an attempt to bypass WGA negotiators.
Key issues include minimum staffing in writers’ rooms, labor protection against artificial intelligenceand streaming services that reveal more audience data so that writers can receive greater financial reward for successful shows.
Film and television writers have been on strike since early May and actors joined them on picket lines in mid-July, taking Hollywood scripted productions to a virtual level. arrest.
Stiehm’s victory was widely expected. It may be difficult for challengers to defeat an incumbent at a time when the WGA received a very high margin of votes in favor of a strike authorization and members are looking for leadership to project strength in a high-stakes situation. Earlier this month, SAG-AFTRA members were re-elected president Fran Drescher in a victory.
“Especially when there is a need for public solidarity, they favor incumbents because people rally around the banner of strike,” said Victor Tan Chen, associate professor of sociology at Virginia Commonwealth University and author of the book “Breaking Free: Unemployed and Hopeless in an Unfair Economy.” “They want to show a united front.”
Incumbents of other senior leadership positions, including WGA West Vice President Michele Mulroney and Secretary-Treasurer Betsy Thomas, were also re-elected, defeating challengers Isaac Gomez and Jeffrey Thompson.