Freelancers Union

Forget what the slick politicians wearing expensive suits are saying on Capital Hill. The job market in America is in bad shape. The “real” unemployment figure has risen to around 17.5 percent, according to a report in today’s New York Times. Many of those people are freelancers and don’t really get counted when they are out of work or when times are tough. The Times says the job market is tough … really tough now.

The concept of jobs and employment in America is changing. The days when a company hired someone and expected to keep them for 10, 20 or 30 years are disappearing.

The trend is for companies to hire on-demand workers, not unlike the idea of on-demand manufacturing and delivery of goods. There’s greater efficiency when jobs are simply viewed as a commodity. Yet, at the same time, it creates an environment where there’s less skill, less commitment and less of a team approach. That doesn’t matter for many organizations that have a need for someone simply to do a job and fill a slot.

Not surprisingly, many Americans have become freelancers or independent contractors. The PBS NewsHour program reports that as many as one-third of all workers in America fall into this category … 1/3! Most lack the safety net of benefits and insurance.

What about benefits for freelancers? Such things as healthcare, 401k? Getting healthcare can be a formidable and expensive challenge for someone on their own.

The New York-based Freelancers Union is one answer. It was founded in 1995 by a former labor lawyer named Sara Horowitz and now provides access to benefits, advocacy, networking and other support for freelancers in all lines of work.

Aside from the fact that their health insurance provider is Indianapolis-based Golden Rule – a very poor and inadequate healthcare provider from my experience – the Freelancers Union is a timely concept that might spawn similar organizations.

The problem with Golden Rule? I found it to be one of those insurance companies that loves to get paid premiums but not pay patient claims.