First passed in New York City, 'Freelance Isn't Free' laws can help freelancers recoup stolen wages

cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/2035745

Quite surprising. Here’s an excerpt from the interview:

As always, we appreciate your support in whatever form it takes. Now over 50 million freelancers participate in the gig economy in the United States, and in 2023 it was projected to generate $455 billion. Many freelance workers work white collar freelance contracts across a number of industries, most notably tech, media and other creative industries. According to one survey, over 50% of gig workers reported to have experienced wage theft at least once in their freelance career. And due to the nature of contingent gig work, it can be difficult to compel employers to pay their freelancers once the project has been completed. Oftentimes, freelancers are left in a lurch after working for weeks or months on a contract and to find themselves unable to reach employers who owe them payment sometimes to the tune of thousands of dollars. That’s where freelance isn’t free, comes in legislation aimed at protecting freelancers from nonpayment by unruly employers First passed in New York City in 2017.

Freelance isn’t Free. Legislation has helped freelancers recoup hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid invoices over the last seven years. Now backed by organizers at the National Writers Union and the Freelance Solidarity Project. Local and state governments are looking to enact their own freelance Isn’t Free Laws with me today to discuss all this are Eric Thurm and Keisha Dutes. Keisha TK Dutes is an audio producer and executive producer educator and on-air talent with experience spanning terrestrial radio online and podcasts since 2005. Her life and audio is all encompassing. Her most recent offering on NPR Life Kit is about how to mind your business, and currently she is helping people bring their podcasts to life via her company. Philo’s Future Media. TK also serves as a board member for the Association of Independents in Radio. Eric is the campaigns coordinator at the National Writers Union and member organizer with the Freelance Solidarity Project. Organizations that have advocated for freelance isn’t free legislation in places like New State and Illinois. Welcome to the show guys. Thanks so much for coming on this morning. Thanks for having us.

BTW, free-lancers count as “self-employed,” right?

  • angrytoadnoisesEnglish
    2·
    8 months ago

    This is good stuff. The work I’ve done as a freelancer was both extremely liberating and comparatively stress-free, but also frustrating as I was chasing money more often than I was working.

    I think most people are drawn to freelance work so they can be free from traditional work structures, which under capitalism are oppressive and exploitative. The current state of freelance work laws in many areas almost seems like the system rejecting this desire for freedom, and coming down hard on workers who try to pursue it.

    Sure, you can utilize a general or specialized skill on your own terms, but we’re going to make sure the class that would have exploited you under a traditional employment system gets you exploit you anyway by ghosting you.