WGA West’s Meredith Stiehm & SAG-AFTRA’s Joely Fisher Lobby For California Bill That Would Give Striking Workers Unemployment Benefits

Meredith Stiehm has been re-elected president of the WGA West, defeating Rich Talarico in a landslide.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Meredith Stiehm has been reelected as president of WGA West, in a strong show of support as the union’s strike continues into its fifth month. Stiehm took 3,354 votes, easily defeating Rich Talarico, who took just 300 votes. Two other officers were also reelected: Michele Mulroney, as vice president, and Betsy Thomas, as secretary-treasurer.

A bill that would make striking workers in California eligible to receive up to $450 a week in unemployment insurance benefits passed in the state Senate on Thursday by a vote of 27-12. Senate Bill 799, which passed in the state Assembly last month, now heads to the desk of Gov. Gavin Newsom, who can either sign it into law or veto it.

As the SAG-AFTRA strike clocked its 62nd day, and the WGA’s 135th, the former held a massive solidarity march today from Netflix HQ on Van Ness Blvd to the Melrose gates of Paramount to juice guilds’ spirits with the entertainment industry work stoppage running past Labor Day.

A bill that wouldmake striking workers in California eligible to receive unemployment benefits was approved on Wednesday by a 4-1 vote of the state Senate’sLabor, Public Employment and Retirement Committee. Senate Bill 799, which has already been passed by the state Assembly, now goes to a vote of the full Senate. If approved there, it will be up to Governor Gavin Newsom to either sign it into law or veto it. Last year, he vetoed 169 bills while signing nearly 1,000.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer SAG-AFTRA held a massive march and rally outside the Paramount studio on Wednesday, as the union marked 62 days on strike. Union leaders argued that the strike has resonated across industries, as workers stand up to “unchecked corporate greed.” “What’s at stake is bigger than just the entertainment industry,” said Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the union’s executive director. “It’s about the livelihoods of everyone who needs a job to earn a living.” He urged actors to use their voices and authenticity to speak for the broader labor movement.

A bill that would provide unemployment insurance to striking workers in California passed the state Assembly on Monday and now is headed to the Senate Labor Committee and then to the Senate floor. If passed there, Senate Bill 799 would go to Gov. Gavin Newsom for his signature.

Ezra Knight has been reelected president of SAG-AFTRA’s New York Local in a landslide victory that also gave his running mates a clean sweep of the election. Knight received nearly 73% of the votes cast in a four-person race for president. His four vice presidential running mates – Linda Powell, Anthony Rapp, Jim Kerr and Liz Zazzi – were also elected.

Fran Drescher was re-electedSAG-AFTRA president for a two-year term on Sept. 8.The actress and comedian received 23,080 votes to beat out actress and writer Maya Gilbert-Dunbar’s 5,276 votes in the election, which took place amid the union’s strike against Hollywood studios.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Fran Drescher has been elected to a second term as president of SAG-AFTRA, as the union’s first studio strike in 43 years nears the two-month mark. Drescher was elected with 81.4% of the vote, defeating Maya Gilbert-Dunbar, who took 18.6%. Joely Fisher took 70.3% in her race for a second term as secretary-treasurer.

OK, so there was one good deal point –one– to come out of the AMPTP talks with the WGA, as SAG-AFTRA National Executive director and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland admitted at TIFF today: It was the streamer’s transparency on viewership numbers.

Insecure star Kendrick Sampson is going to Dallas where SAG-AFTRA is set to hold a rally on Saturday. The visit is significant to Sampson in support of Texas actors navigating the strike under the leadership of Governor Greg Abbott, who he calls an “evil human being”.

Dwyane Wade is opening up about why he and his family made the move to California from Florida.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer The Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA are pushing California lawmakers to grant unemployment benefits to striking workers. In California, workers currently do not receive unemployment pay when they are on strike. But state lawmakers are working on a bill, SB 799, that would extend benefits to workers who have been on strike for at least two weeks.

This is Day 129 of the WGA strike and Day 56 of the SAG-AFTRA strike.

The Writers Guild and SAG-AFTRA will rally on Thursday at Amazon Studio in Culver City to highlight their push a bill that would provide unemployment insurance to striking workers in California. Striking writers and actors in New York and New Jersey are already eligible to receive unemployment benefits after 14 days on the picket line, but not in California.

EXCLUSIVE: ITV is progressing on a landmark deal with British actors union Equity that would, for the first time, include provisions for AI and cloning on the likes of Coronation Street and Emmerdale.

Britney Spears’ estranged husband, Sam Asghari, took to the streets of Los Angeles on Thursday to stand in solidarity with his fellow performers as part of the ongoing strikes organized by SAG-AFTRA and WGA.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Administrators of SAG-AFTRA’s health plan have made a big move to extend health care coverage for members who would otherwise lose their eligibility because of production shutdowns sparked by the Writers Guild of America strike. SAG-AFTRA Health Plan board of trustees voted unanimously to extend coverage by one calendar quarter for some members who would be off the rolls as of Oct. 1.

You may be wondering why certain celebrities are attending the 2023 Venice Film Festival despite the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike.