In the midst of a strike that has united the industry, Meredith Stiehm has been re-elected president of the WGA West, while Michele Mulroney was re-elected as vice president.
Stiehm (Homeland) easily won with 3,354 votes, handily defeating Rich Talarico (Key & Peele), who drew only 300 votes. Mulroney, who serves on the guild’s negotiating committee, defeated current strike captain Isaac Gómez by a vote of 3,235 to 411, while Betsy Thomas was re-elected as secretary-treasurer, drawing 3,182 votes compared to Jeffrey Thompson‘s 421.
If the guild’s membership had been upset regarding the prolonged strike, it would’ve voted Stiehm out of office, but outside of a handful of showrunners, there hasn’t been much dissension in the ranks, as most of the membership is on the same page, no matter how long it takes to reach a deal with the AMPTP.
While the WGA is just two weeks away from this strike becoming its longest ever — the 1988 strike lasted 154 days, and we’re on Day 141 now — it does sound like forward progress is being made, as the guild is slated to resume talks with the studios on Wednesday.
With Stiehm being re-elected as president of WGA West, it begs the question of who will preside over WGA East. Well, that’s an easy one, as Lisa Takeuchi Cullen is running unopposed. This means that, for the first time ever, the presidents of SAG-AFTRA, the DGA, and both the WGA East and WGA West will be all women.
“I ran for president two years ago because I believe that ‘impossible’ things are possible. The 2023 MBA will be the next example of that. I believe in shooting high, speaking truth to power, and holding the line when necessary. I am guided by fairness and principle, and if it comes to a stand-off for a righteous cause, I am tireless. Or as my husband says, ‘stubborn as shit,'” Stiehm said earlier this summer.
“I know this moment can feel impossible… It’s been a long, hot summer. But I see a resolution. I know we are on the right path, and it leads to a stronger place. And we are succeeding,” she added.
For more on the circumstances surrounding the WGA’s return to the negotiating table, click here.
