welcome

We Demand Water from Columbia Journalism News Video on Vimeo.

In the Culture of FLAME CON from inthecultureofoneworld on Vimeo.

World’s Largest Queer Comic Con Announces Fourth Annual Flame Con NYC’s First Queer Comic Con Returns August 18 at New Venue

By Randy Gener

NEW YORK, May 15, 2017 |  Freelance workers can now rest assured — that check is actually in the mail.  And if a deadbeat client stiffs freelancers repeatedly, they now a bona fide legal recourse to collect.  Contractors can now sue the hiring party with little worry that filing a lawsuit for breach of contract would become yet another financial burden.

On May 15, 2017, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the New York City Freelance Isn’t Free Act (FIFA) goes into effect, solidifying the rights of freelance workers to get paid in full and in a timely manner.  It is the first law of its kind in the country.  

“Freelancers aren’t free,” the mayor said. “It’s now the law in New York City that they be paid on time, have the written contracts they deserve and have the tools to defend their rights.”

To mark its implementation, the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) conducted a Day of Action with various partners to educate New Yorkers, launched a social media campaign, and co-hosted a launch event with Freelancers Union at LMHQ, a collaborative workspace in Lower Manhattan.

The law gives freelance workers the legal right to written contracts, timely payment, and freedom from retaliation. Under the law, freelance workers can now file a complaint with DCA’s Office of Labor Policy & Standards, which will also provide court navigation services to freelance workers pursuing their claims in court and survey freelance workers about their experiences pursuing their claims under the Law in court.

The city estimates the new law will affect and benefit around 500,000 freelance workers. This statistic represents 38% of the workforce in NYC.  The estimate is based on a 2013 Department of Finance study of New Yorkers receiving 1099-MISC tax forms (a common income tax form for individuals operating as contingent “freelance” workers).

NYC officials and freelance advocates celebrated access to written contracts, timely payment, and freedom from retaliation for roughly 500,000 freelance workers.

In terms of diversity measures, New York has the highest number of LGBT-identifying residents in the country.  The city has more than 700,000 LGBT residents, according to a 2015 Gallup survey.  In the context of the entire city, this figure represents about 4 percent of the population. New York City has more than 10 million residents.

Women freelancers (lesbians included) are more likely to have undertaken work experience before their first job than permanent workers.  However they are also more likely to have received no pay, and much more likely to have done some unpaid work in the creative industries.  Why?  Those working within the creative industry are often held captive to an unwritten rule — working for free.

“This new law is an important step toward securing financial stability for the many freelance workers who bring their talents to companies but then struggle to make ends meet because of unpaid wages and broken promises,” said DCA Commissioner Lorelei Salas. 

The total number of freelancers in the U.S. is said to stand at 55 million. No other field suffers the same stigma; we don’t expect our lawyers, our handymen, or our child-minders to work without payment. So, why is it so often expected that we will?

RELATED STORIES

Why Freelancers Need a Nonpayment Law (Fast Company)

Freelancers Aren't Free: Mayor Announces First in Nation Protections for Freelance Workers (Official Website of the City of New York)

Freelancers Are The Answer To A Slow Hiring Process (Forbes)

What Stops Freelancers from Going Freelance? (Fast Company)

  A MORE SECURE WORKFORCE FOR TODAY’S CHANGING WORKPLACE

We live in a time of incredible innovation. Companies are changing fast and adapting. Workers are changing fast and adapting. The new culture of freelance workers, sometimes called the “gig economy,” is a response to the faster pace of the workplace. 

“With one-third of the workforce freelancing, it’s time for us to build a new safety net that reflects the realities of how Americans are working,” said Sara Horowitz, Founder and Executive Director of Freelancers Union.

New York Council Member Brad Lander spearheaded the legislation’s passage in City Hall last year, along with Freelancers Union’s advocacy efforts.

At the May 15th launch, Lander stated that the fact that this law even exists will scare employers into paying their freelancers on time. It shouldn’t have to be that way, but sometimes, this is what it takes.

He said: “This means new protections for NYC’s million of freelancers — for people like Elizabeth McKenzie, a freelancer in film production who lived on bread and rolls, and worked in the dark because she couldn’t pay her utility bills after getting stiffed for $2,500 she had earned.”

Offering more examples, Lander also cited a freelancer named Mauricio Niebla, part of a group of 40 writers and editors cheated out of a total of $400,000 by a national publishing company. He also spoke about Just Raymona, a pattern-maker from the Bronx, who paid the people she owed out of her savings when she was stiffed, but couldn’t pay her own rent or phone bill.

In the video interview posted below, Lander pressed the larger point that FIFA will have a broad-ranging effect in all industries in New York.  It is not restricted only to freelance writers, editors, journalists and other creative types.

Many millennials, for example, view a freelance lifestyle as the ultimate dream. Time freedom and location flexibility are benefits of the freelance role, and many millennials want to be their own boss.  New Yorkers — not just LGBT persons — have indulged in a project or two to gain experience or with the aim of getting a foot in the door.

Companies, particularly those in the tech industry, find it easier to outsource to a single individual or firm to meet tight deadlines.  But all too often, independent contractors fall victim to indifference, neglect and/or hostility purely for requesting they be paid for their time and efforts.

Lander explained that the law provides all New York freelancers protection against retaliation for asserting said rights. Fines may even be distributed via small claims court.

Will this act catch on and become legislation in other states and around the world? Will this date be remembered as a milestone for not only creatives, but freelancers in general? Only time will tell.

#FACESOFFREELANCERS

DCA has launched a 15-day social media campaign called #FacesofFreelancers to highlight the city’s many freelancers and the new rights available to them.

Hiring parties and workers can visit nyc.gov/dca or call 311 and ask for “Freelance Workers” for more information about the Freelance Isn’t Free Act.

Information for freelancers (Spanish) and hiring parties, as well as a model contract, complaint form, FAQs and court navigation information is available at nyc.gov/dca and will soon be available in additional languages.

ARE YOU READY TO GO FREELANCE?

Is freelancing a viable career option?  

The job description of “freelancer” once conjured images of a workplace mercenary, someone hired for a specific task and a specific time. After the work finished, the freelancer moved to the next job.

Failing is arguably especially scary as a freelancer, as independent workers are not covered by unemployment insurance. 

How exactly is the structure of work changing today?  What follows is a quick take, presented in numbers and charts, that outlines the current state of freelancing in the U.S.  

GRASSROOTS ADVOCACY IS KEY, SAYS NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL MEMBER BRAD LANDER

In this video interview, Brad Lander pressed the larger point that FIFA will have a broad-ranging effect in all industries in New York.  It is not restricted only to freelance writers, editors, journalists and other creative types.  Lander explains that the new law will improve the lot of immigrants, domestic workers, consultants, office help, janitors and other workers.