Meredith Stiehm has been elected president of the Writers Guild of America, West, succeeding David Goodman, who stepped down after four years on the job.
Stiehm ran unopposed, as did her slate of officers. Michele Mulroney was elected vice president and Betsy Thomas was elected secretary-treasurer.
“It is an honor to serve the membership as WGAW President,” Stiehm said in a statement. “I look forward to working with Michele, Betsy, and the Board of Directors to advance an agenda that builds on the progress our union has made for writers and addresses the challenges we face in our creative and economic lives.”
Stiehm was a producer on shows such as “Homeland,” “Cold Case,” “ER” and “NYPD Blue.” She is also a veteran of the guild’s bruising recent battle with the agencies, which led to the end of packaging. Stiehm served as one of the counter-claimants in the WGA’s suit against the agencies, alleging that she had been packaged into shows without her knowledge.
In her candidate statement, Stiehm said she was looking to capitalize on the union’s momentum heading into the 2023 labor negotiations. She said she would focus on improving streaming residuals and would fight back against “mini-rooms” that drive down writers’ pay.
“Once again a new business model — vertically integrated streaming — is revolutionizing writers’
jobs, and being used to squeeze our pay,” she wrote. “The downward pressure on income that we are all feeling is not a byproduct of the model — it is the goal.”
Eighteen candidates ran for seats on the board, of which eight were also elected to two-year terms: Liz Alper, Nicole Yorkin, Zoe Marshall, Marjorie David, Dante W. Harper, Dailyn Rodriguez, Robb Chavis, Adam Conover. A ninth candidate, E. Nicholas Mariani, was elected to a one-year term.