WGA West President Meredith Stiehm sought to reassure members that the guild is doing its best to work in their favor during her speech at Saturday night’s guild awards.
Not only did she once speak out against the use of writers’ work to train AI systems, she also took a jab at the Trump administration, declaring: “We do not cower in the face of bullies.”
“As a president is being puppeted by the richest man in the world, working very hard to hurt vulnerable people, the lawlessness, the heartlessness is outrageous,” she said. “People are understandably fearful, and I can only speak for our community here. We’re just one small union in one state, but I want to say to our members, the guild’s values have not changed. We believe in labor, in freedom of speech, civil rights, inclusion and equity.”
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She vowed to “protect and push back politically,” reminding members that the union has already endured four years of Donald Trump in the Oval Office.
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Hollywood has been through a difficult few years, and writers in particular have faced incredible hardship.
On the heels of the devastating wildfires, which kicked off a year that writers hoped might bring reprieve after years of work stoppages and a massive production contraction, Stiehm said the union is working hard to “make these projects here in Los Angeles.”
The WGA and SAG-AFTRA embarked on dual strikes in 2023 that hinged on AI protections, and, unsurprisingly, Stiehm also addressed that in the room at the Beverly Hilton on Saturday.
Recently, several unions have called on the studios to take legal action against AI companies using copyrighted work to train their algorithms. Since the writers sell their work to these companies, they have less recourse themselves.
Stiehm reiterated this call to action on Saturday, urging the studios to “please stand up and fight back on AI.”
As further proof the union is working as best it can to serve its members, Stiehm added that the guild has recovered $78M in late pay and residuals owed to writers in the last year.
“If you’re not being paid properly, call us. We’ll get your money,” she promised.
She continued: “That is the kind of quiet but fierce work the guild does every day. The state of this union is strong. The Board of Directors, captains, the entire staff is a plus. We are brave, powerful, compassionate. Now more than ever, I am proud to be WGA and to represent you, our members.”