As a gamer who has spent countless hours immersed in virtual worlds, I can’t help but draw parallels between the complexities of gaming and the real-life labor struggles depicted in this article. The Writers Guild of America West’s decision to re-elect Ellen Stutzman as their top staffer and appoint her as the union’s executive director is akin to leveling up a character in a game – she proved herself during the grueling 148-day strike, demonstrating skills, resilience, and leadership that earned her this promotion.
In a recent show of member backing for the union’s administration, the Writers Guild of America West confirmed Ellen Stutzman as their leading employee and re-elected existing board members following the most recent evaluation of the leadership’s support, which took place since the 2023 writers strike.
In the 2024 election, Raphael Bob-Waksberg, Deric Hughes, Justin Halpern, Travis Donnelly, and John Rogers – all current board members who stood for re-election – were successfully re-elected to their positions. The results, announced on Tuesday, also showed that newcomers Melinda Hsu, Chris Hazzard, and Danny Tolli had won seats in the election.
In November 2023, Union members endorsed Ellen Stutzman’s appointment as the union’s executive director by a substantial majority. A total of 2,279 members, representing approximately 97% of the vote, supported this decision, while only 72 members, roughly 3%, voted against it.
In the weeks leading up to the 2023 contract negotiations, Stutzman stepped into the role of chief negotiator for the writers’ union after the executive director took medical leave. Overseeing both guild members and negotiators, she led a prolonged 148-day strike following her appointment. The subsequent re-appointment of Stutzman and several other board members who also steered the union during the strike suggests that the labor organization’s leadership was supported and trusted during that period of conflict.
Despite the election, participation was relatively low, with only about 16.7% (or 2,408 out of 14,388) of union members exercising their right to vote. This voting process was supervised by Votenet Solutions, as reported in a U.S. Department of Labor filing spanning the period from April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024.
Earlier this month, the Writers Guild of America East concluded elections for its member leaders within various sectors. One incumbent council member from film, television, and streaming was re-elected, while five fresh faces were appointed. The current vice president of the union’s online media division was re-elected, and a new vice president for broadcast, cable, and streaming news took office since the previous executive in that position decided not to seek reelection.
The governing body of the Writers Guild of America West is headed by President Meredith Stiehm, Vice President Michele Mulroney, and Secretary-Treasurer Betsy Thomas.
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2024-09-25 00:54