WGA, East President Michael Winship to run unopposed for 4th term

Michael Winship, president of the Writers Guild of America, East, will run unopposed for his fourth term as president of the 4,000-member union.

Winship, a TV documentary writer who currently works on Bill Moyers’ PBS show, was first elected in 2007. Secretary-Treasurer Bob Schneider also is running for reelection unopposed, seeking his third two-year term. Vice President Jeremy Pikser will run for reelection against Jeff Christman.

The WGA, East annual membership meeting and election is scheduled for Sept. 19.

VIDEO: Summer 2013 TV preview

Aside from the officer positions, the guild announced a dozen candidates were nominated for nine open seats on its council.

The nine candidates are incumbents Bonnie Datt, Henry Bean, Bernardo Ruiz, Susan Kim and Courtney Simon, as well as challengers Zhubin Parang, David Atkins, Robert Levi, Michael Lannan, Amy Sohn, Norman Steinberg and George Strayton.

In addition, five candidates will compete for three open staff seats, those that are available to guild members in good standing who work in news shops under guild negotiated contracts. They are Duane Tollison, Jeff Christman, Phil Pilato, Matt Nelko and Sue Brown McCann.

WGA, East, which is based in New York, jointly bargains with its larger sister union, WGA, West, which is based in Los Angeles. The unions have separate boards, staffing and elections.

Winship’s counterpart -- WGA, West President Chris Keyser -- also will run unopposed in fall elections.

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