Michele Mulroney, the vice president of the Writers Guild of America West, is running to succeed Meredith Stiehm as president of the guild for the next two years.
Mulroney, a screenwriter, is the only candidate for president on the guild’s “initial list” of nominees. Any additional candidates must submit at least 25 signatures by July 23.
Stiehm, a TV showrunner, has served as president for the last four years. She is barred under the WGA constitution from seeking a third consecutive term.
Mulroney has been active in the guild’s efforts to fight “free work,” a longstanding issue for feature writers. The union has argued for decades that feature writers are forced to do numerous revisions before they are allowed to turn in a “first draft” — violating the producer’s obligation under the collective bargaining agreement to pay for revisions.
That trend accelerated with the rise of “one-step” deals in the late 1990s. In the 2023 strike, the union won a guaranteed “second step” for feature writers making less than 200% of the guild minimum.
Under the union’s constitution, a nominating committee must come up with at least two candidates for each officer position. The committee did meet that requirement for vice president and secretary-treasurer. Jeffrey Thompson and Travis Donnelly were nominated to run for the VP role, while Van Robichaux and Peter Murrieta will run for secretary-treasurer.
A separate committee offered 17 candidates for eight open seats on the WGA West board.
Additional candidates may be nominated for the officer roles and the board by petition. The guild will issue a “final list” of candidates in late July.
The voting period will open on Aug. 29 and close on Sept. 23.
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