Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

“Unions should push for the rights of all workers, including freelancers”

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • “Unions should push for the rights of all workers, including freelancers”

    An interesting read. I never knew of all the ins and outs of writers.

    Since 1945, Ebony Magazine has been a cornerstone of African-American culture. During the 1950s and 19060s when Black people in the United States were fighting for justice and equality, the magazine carved out a rare space in publishing to celebrate the lives and achievements of African-Americans. Some of its most notable issues, like the 1969 Black Jesus cover, sent shockwaves through race-sensitive America.

    But in more recent times, the magazine has won notoriety for its mistreatment of its freelancers. In 2018, after a year-long legal battle, the magazine’s owners (Ebony Media Organization and its parent company, the private equity firm Clear View Group) finally agreed to pay over US$80,000 in unpaid fees to its freelance contributors. And behind those independent workers stood a union. “Freelancers are like the fast-food workers of publishing,” says Larry Goldbetter, president of the National Writers Union (NWU), the freelancers’ union representing the Ebony Magazine freelancers. “They are at the bottom of the food chain, and they really benefit from organising collectively.”

    Yet it isn’t hard to see where freelancers and unions might clash. Freelancers often see themselves as free-wheeling entrepreneurs, with little need for collective power or forming alliances with employees. On the other hand, some unions have a history of mistrusting freelancers, seeing them as a way for employers to undermine working conditions.
    https://www.equaltimes.org/unions-sh...n#.XNAfeY5KiM9
Working...
X