Michele Mulroney has been elected president of the Writers Guild of America West, with a vow to protect the writers’ health plan and push back on “free work.”
Mulroney, who has served as vice president of the union, ran unopposed for the union’s top job. She will take over for Meredith Stiehm, who was termed out after four years.
Travis Donnelly was elected vice president and Peter Murrieta was elected secretary-treasurer.
Eight other members were elected to the board: Molly Nussbaum, Mike Royce, Maggie Levin, Rob Forman, Adam Conover, Matt Ross, Myles Warden and Marguerite MacIntyre. The ninth place finisher, Cathryn Humphris, was elected to a one-year term to replace Donnelly.
The WGA is due to negotiate its contract with the major studios next year for the first time since the 148-day strike in 2023. In her candidate statement, Mulroney said that the health plan will be a “headline issue” in those talks, noting it has not been a focus since 2017.
“Since then, rapidly rising healthcare costs and fewer contributions to the Plan due to the industry contraction mean we’ll need to make smart moves in order to continue to provide the high level of care and benefits our members have fought so hard to secure,” she wrote.
Mulroney is a film writer who has long worked on the issue of “free work” — the practice of requiring multiple drafts before a “first draft” is submitted. The union made progress on that front in 2023, guaranteeing a paid “second step” for writers below an income threshold.
In her candidate statement, Mulroney said the “free work” issue has migrated to television, and that the issue must be addressed.